


I Will Carry You Through It All

by MissKimisha



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 10:14:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 30
Words: 73,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissKimisha/pseuds/MissKimisha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>16 Year Old Dean Winchester's life is turned upside down when his Dad marries his current girlfriend Sophie and Dean is about to gain a new step Brother in the form of Castiel Novak. Playing happy families is clearly not on the cards when Dean realises he will never be able to think of Castiel as his brother and his feelings are taking a much more forbidden route. AU Destiel!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Little 12 year old Sam Winchester stomped down the stairs and burst into the kitchen, he had one of his famous 'bitch faces' spread across his features and his Dad could only assume that his older brother was the cause of this.

"Dean has been going through my stuff again, tell him to stop Dad!" Sam complained, pushing back a strand of his floppy hair.

John chuckled and ruffled his youngest son's hair, making his way out of the kitchen. Sam followed closely behind, complaining down his father's ear.

"Sam, give it a rest would ya boy, you're giving me a headache." John said with a loud sigh and rubbing his forehead.

"Hey Sammy…"

Dean started calling out as he bounded happily down the stairs.

"…Who is, Amelia?"

Sam's jaw dropped and he blushed furiously, even more so when Dean laughed at him.

"DEAN! Have you been going through my blog?"

"Wellll…maybe." Dean said with a smirk.

"Daaaaaaaaaaad!" Sam whined, spinning on his heels to complain to John.

John held his hands up in surrender and sighed heavily.

"Ok…enough is enough boys. Dean quit going through your brother's things and Sam, stop complaining. I haven't got time for this."

John pushed past his boys and rushed upstairs to get ready.

Being a single dad was hard at times, but John Winchester loved his boys more than anything. He had lost his wife Mary in a house fire when Dean was 4 years old and Sam was just a baby.

The years had been rough but now Dean was a more than capable, incredibly loyal albeit occasionally troublesome 16 year old boy and he would do anything for his dad and Sammy. John had recently found a new love in his life, Sophie and they had been dating for a few months now, Dean was happy for his dad but it was hard for him to imagine somebody replacing his mom. Although he never expressed his worries for fear of making his Dad unhappy again, besides Sam was a big fan of Sophie and Dean had to admit she was a lovely lady.

John came back down the stairs, ready for his date. He stood in front of the hallway mirror adjusting his hair and turning to face his boys.

"Well, how do I look?" He asked, arms spread out to the side and a grin on his face.

"You look awesome Dad." Sam chirped up with a smile.

"Yeah it's fine but come on you guys have been on a lot of dates now, so if she doesn't like you by now…" Dean shrugged, shooting his Dad a half smile.

John took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah I guess you're right."

Right on queue the doorbell of the Winchester household rang loudly and Sam took the opportunity to dart away and answered the door to Sophie.

"Hey Sam, how are you?" Sophie greeted him with a big smile and Sam stepped aside to let her in.

"Good thanks, Dad's ready. Come on in" Sam said politely, returning the smile and letting her in.

John made his way to the front door with Dean in tow.

"Hey Sophie" Dean greeted with a small wave.

"Hi Dean…"

She smiled in Dean's direction before casting a glance at John and taking hold of his hand.

"Ready?"

John nodded and let her lead him back towards the door.

"Any problems Dean, you call me straight away got it? Take care of Sammy and don't wind each other up too much. I won't be back too late."

Dean laughed and waved his Dad off, throwing an arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Dad relax, go have fun. We will be fine."

Sam nodded in agreement and they said their goodbyes to the couple.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, John was whistling away happily making breakfast while Sam and Dean watched on in amusement.

"Good date then?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"Yeah it was a good night, I really like her you know boys." John said with a fond smile, serving up their pancakes and taking a seat at the table with his sons.

"We know Dad" Sam answered with a grin and digging into his food.

"Actually I've been meaning to talk to you both about something…"

John cleared his throat and set down his fork before continuing.

"…Sophie and I have been talking, things are going really well between the two of us and after some discussion, I've decided it would be a good idea for you to meet her son and get to know him."

Dean froze with his fork midway to his mouth and placed it down carefully. Nerves settled in the pit of his stomach, he had been waiting for this moment to come and it proved just how serious his Dad was about Sophie and her son too. Dean wasn't sure how to feel.

"Oh my God, that would be awesome! I can't wait to meet him." Sam cried out in excitement, practically bouncing in his seat. He was always good with people, made friends easily and the complete opposite to Dean, who preferred to have 'acquaintances' as opposed to good friends. Dean just loved his own company too much.

"Wow, so things are pretty serious then?" Dean asked with a gulp.

"Yes they are Dean and I really want you both to get along with Castiel…"

Dean snorted a laugh at the unusual name and Sam rolled his eyes.

"…He's a good kid, a little quiet but I'm sure you will get along fine and I am really putting my trust in both of you to be welcoming and polite. Sophie and Castiel are coming for dinner tomorrow night, so best behaviour, got it?"

"Got it, I can't wait to meet him" Sam grinned happily and continued eating his pancakes.

"Yes sir." Dean said with a nod and a small smile.

"Good, now eat your pancakes."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The next 24 hours passed way too quickly for Dean's liking and now the brothers were sat patiently waiting for the arrival of Sophie and her son, while their Dad was cooking in the kitchen.

"Dean, Sam…they're here." John called into the living room.

Immediately Sam stood up and raced out towards the door, Dean pushed himself up feeling less enthusiastic and followed in his little brother's footsteps.

As he reached the door, John was closing the door behind Sophie and her son. Dean took a moment to get a look at this kid.

Castiel was a year younger than Dean, he was slim and around the same height as Dean. The eldest Winchester brother edged forward while John was introducing Sam to Castiel, his gaze still resting on the new kid.

He had dark brown, almost black hair that stuck up messily but it kind of worked for him, Castiel had very defined features, plump chapped lips, a strong jaw and the brightest blue eyes Dean had ever witnessed. The tan trench coat that Castiel wore did nothing for the kid, Dean noted it was way too big for him and couldn't help but feel slightly amused.

"And this is my oldest son Dean…"

John said, motioning him forward and towards Castiel. Finally the younger boys' eyes met with Dean's and he couldn't help but notice that Castiel looked down right terrified. His eyes were wide, like a deer caught in the headlights and he didn't even crack a smile, just nodded politely in Dean's direction.

"Dean, this is Sophie's boy Castiel."

"Nice to meet ya Castiel" Dean said with a cocky smile.

"Hello Dean"

Castiel shuffled nervously, but his eyes remained glued to Dean's and the Winchester couldn't help the shiver running down his spine at the sound of Castiel's voice. He couldn't help but think it was way too deep and gravelly for a 15 year old boy; obviously the kid was maturing fast.

"Alright well now the introductions are done with, why don't you boys show Castiel to the living room and we will call you when dinner's ready." John said, pushing at Dean slightly and pulling on Sophie's elbow, leading her towards the kitchen with a smile.

Dean grunted slightly, the smile disappearing from his face and by the time he had turned around, Sam was already eagerly leading Castiel into the living room chatting away happily about his hobbies.

He followed them both into the room, noticing Castiel was now shaking off his trench coat and Dean let out a sigh of relief that the kid was wearing relatively normal clothing underneath, which consisted of jeans and a t-shirt, not the baggy old suit that Dean was kind of expecting.

Castiel sat down stiffly on the couch and nodded slowly, trying to digest everything Sam was saying to him. Dean had been on the receiving end of Sam's ramblings way too often to know how the kid feels and he couldn't help the amused smirk that formed on his face as he sat down next to his younger brother.

"So Castiel…weird name."

Dean said sharply, cutting Sam off mid-sentence. Sam turned to gape at Dean, wearing bitch face 101.

"DEAN, don't be so rude. I'm sorry about my brother…"

"It's fine" Castiel said quietly, his eyes fixed on his own hands that were currently joined tightly in his lap.

Sam glared at his older brother and Dean shrugged it off, he stood up abruptly and headed out of the living room, leaving Sam with Castiel.

"Sorry, he's not that great with people." Sam muttered, embarrassed for his brothers rudeness.

"Don't worry Sam, I'm not offended." Cas stated firmly, even letting a small smile grace his lips to put the younger brother at ease.

Sam grinned widely in return and continued to ramble to Castiel about everything and anything he could think of.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean came downstairs 20 minutes later to find Castiel sat alone in the living room and Sam nowhere in sight.

"Dammit" He muttered under his breath, before sighing heavily and entering the room.

"Where did Sammy go?"

Castiel looked up, almost startled that Dean had spoken to him at all.

"I believe he is in the kitchen, fetching a beverage."

Dean snorted in amusement and threw himself messily onto the couch next to Castiel, his legs spread wide and his arms stretching out along the back of the seat, the younger boy stayed perched stiffly on the edge of the couch with his hands joined.

"You speak funny, like all proper and stuff. Come on man, you can't seriously talk like that. Your Mom doesn't speak in that way." Dean asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out if Castiel was putting on a charade and there was actually a relatively normal 15 year old boy beneath the surface.

Castiel ducked his head and wrung his hands together nervously.

"I suppose, I must have picked it up from my father. He was very well spoken."

"Right and where is he now?" Dean asked, without much thinking.

"He's dead"

Dean immediately felt his stomach drop and his heart clench in both guilt and sympathy.

"Oh man, I'm sorry…I didn't know. I didn't mean to…"

Castiel whipped his head up to look at Dean and he shook his head quickly.

"No, It's ok…really, you weren't to know." Castiel re-assured with a tiny smile tugging the corners of his lips, it was barely there but it made Dean feel a little better.

"My Mom died when I was 4, it was a long time ago but it still feels like yesterday…I know that's stupid…" Dean stated, a small lump forming in his throat. He shook his head slightly, wondering why he was telling this to a complete stranger; Dean Winchester didn't show his feeling at the best of times, not even to his family.

A hand suddenly landed on Dean's knee and his breath hitched, he stiffened at the contact from the boy he barely knew. Dean's shocked eyes met with Castiel's blue ones which now appeared stern and almost fierce.

"It's not stupid Dean, no matter how long ago it was, it doesn't mean it's any less painful."

Dean relaxed almost immediately and let out a long drawn out breath, that he didn't even realise he was holding onto.

"Thanks Castiel" Dean said with a smile.

The boy nodded and removed his hand, before returning to his previous position.

"It's the name of an angel."

Dean frowned in confusion.

"What is?"

"My name, Castiel. I am named after the angel of Thursday."

"Oh, let me guess…you were born on a Thursday?" Dean said with a laugh.

Castiel let a small smile appear for the first time in Dean's presence and he nodded.

"Yes I was, good guess"

Dean laughed and leant forward on the couch matching Castiel's position, hands joined in front of him.

"I kinda like it; the name's growing on me. It suits you." Dean said with a small genuine smile.

Castiel blushed slightly and ducked his head, mumbling something that resembled a 'thank you'.

Dean couldn't help but think that it wasn't just the name of the boy sat next to him that was starting to grow on him.

This kid wasn't so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Four Months had passed since Dean first met Castiel and it was now a regular meeting, the two boys getting along better than both John and Sophie would have predicted.

The relationship between The Winchester's Dad and Castiel's Mom was growing and they were closer than ever. Sophie and Castiel now spent at least two nights a week at the Winchester house and occasionally John would take his boys for dinner once a week to Sophie and Castiel's small but humble apartment.

Sam got along well with Castiel too, their geeky sides shining through and bonding over books, poetry and art. They chatted endlessly about most things and this always pulled at Dean's heart a little, possibly out of jealously but he couldn't decide who he was jealous of exactly. Sam had once told Dean that he felt like Castiel was a part of the family already and they had formed a brotherly bond.

While Dean had formed a friendship with Castiel, he couldn't quite call it a 'brotherly bond' as Sam had put it. They were on good terms, they spoke more about hobbies, school and many other things, although both Dean and Castiel were very different kinds of people, it didn't seem to matter much.

The younger boy definitely had more in common with Sam and yet Dean couldn't help but notice, Castiel definitely stuck to him a lot more than he did to his younger brother. It was probably an age thing above all else and it's not like Dean minded too much.

It was a Thursday night, an evening in the Winchester household and dinner with Sophie & Castiel joining them, much like every other Thursday night recently.

But tonight was different.

John and Sophie had summoned the boys to the dining room table for a talk; Sam was already sitting patiently at the dining room table while Castiel and Dean strolled in at their own leisure.

"Hey Cas, get out of my seat dumbass." Dean cried out, when Castiel tried to sit at Dean's usual spot at the table.

Castiel smirked in amusement and moved to the next seat. Smiling seemed to be a common thing for the younger boy these days and Dean preferred it to the poker face which Castiel had used on him for the first month or so but he seemed to loosen up lately, especially around Dean.

Dean would never forget the moment he first called him 'Cas' instead of his full title and to this very day Dean would swear he has never seen a brighter smile appear on Cas' face since that day.

"Dean, language." Sophie warned slightly, raising her eyebrows but with a slight smile hiding behind her eyes.

He really did like Cas' Mom, she was pretty cool.

"Ok boys, we have something we would like to tell you. It's good news don't worry…" John started, looking nervously at the three boys.

Sophie took John's hand into her own and smiled in encouragement.

"Oh my God…Dad, you're pregnant!" Dean cried out, smiling widely and reaching forward to pat his father's belly.

Castiel ducked his head trying to hide his own amused smile, while Sam rolled his eyes and kicked his legs impatiently under the table.

"Dean don't be so stupid boy, I'm trying to be serious here." John scolded, with an eye roll fit to match his youngest sons.

"Wow…ok not pregnant, jeez. Need to lay off those beers then." Dean muttered in amusement, earning a light slap across the head from his Dad.

Sophie rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly, before taking the pressure off John.

"Ok, listen up boys, we have some exciting news. John and I are engaged, we're getting married." Sophie smiled widely and John wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Sam was up immediately, embracing both of them in a hug and bouncing excitedly.

"This is the best news ever!" Sam said happily, a grin stretching across his face.

Castiel stood up and hugged his Mom, a lot more subtle with his congratulations but said with a genuine smile none the less.

John glanced up and noticed Dean was still glued to his spot at the table, staring at them with firm eyes. Cas followed John's line of sight and settled on Dean.

"Dean?" John said cautiously, causing Sophie and Sam to stop in their celebration, focus now entirely on the oldest Winchester brother.

"Dean…we get a step Mom, how cool is that? And Castiel is gonna be our step brother…that's awesome, right?" Sam encourages with a smile, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Immediately Dean is on his feet and stalking out of the dining room, before he's out of the door he turns and faces his Dad.

"I don't know how you can re-marry; glad you have found a suitable replacement for my Mom." Dean snaps, seeing the hurt expression over his Dad's features before storming up to his room, tears springing free from behind his eyes.

John turns to Sophie and apologises for Dean's reaction.

"It's ok John, it's expected. I'm sure he will come around." She said with a smile and pulling her fiancée into a hug.

"I should go and speak with him." John said, pulling out of the hug.

Sam winced slightly, knowing if his Dad goes up there it would end in an argument and Castiel was clearly thinking along the same lines, he is next to speak up much to everyone's surprise.

"No, I'll speak with Dean."

They watch as Castiel, hurriedly makes his way upstairs to Dean's room.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean was lying on his bed, with his back to the bedroom door and staring into nothing, tears running down his face.

He feels terrible, he likes Sophie and he likes Cas but that isn't the reason Dean snapped. Sam would never understand because he never knew their Mom like Dean did, he still holds those early memories close to his heart.

And he will never forget that dreadful night when he was told to take baby Sam and get the hell out of the burning house. The news that came shortly afterwards is still the most devastating news that Dean has ever received in his 16 years of life.

In Dean's eyes, no matter how sweet or caring or loving they were, no woman could ever replace his Mom and the thought of getting another brother was daunting too. If Mary couldn't be where she belonged with her family, then Dean was happy for it to be the three of them and that's what he had gotten used to.

A light knock on the door startled Dean from his thoughts.

"Go away."

"Dean, it's me…can I come in?"

He closed his eyes, willing Castiel to just turn around and walk away but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Dean?" Castiel knocked again and Dean didn't bother replying.

Slowly he heard his bedroom door creak open and Cas stepped inside, shuffling a little closer to the bed.

"I thought I said go away, I'm not in the mood for you right now." Dean snapped, still not facing his step brother to be.

"Look Dean I get that you're upset and I understand…"

"NO, you do not understand." Dean said through gritted teeth, more tears rolling down his face and he was glad his back was facing Castiel, he couldn't look at him right now.

"YES I do…"

Castiel snapped back firmly and Dean jumped slightly at the raised voice, before hearing Cas let out a long frustrated sigh.

"…I do not wish to argue with you Dean. This isn't about who has it worse, because we have both been through similar situations. You lost your Mom, I lost my Dad…I get how you're feeling Dean. It's scary as hell, getting a new Dad, being an only child my whole life and now I am going to gain two brothers. I'm scared Dean, terrified…"

Dean listened carefully to Cas' words but still refused to face him as he heard the other boy shuffling nervously on the carpet.

"…but I'm also excited. I've never had siblings and it will be nice to have a father figure in my life again and your Dad is amazing. He makes my Mom so happy and that's what is important, that our parents are happy again. So maybe you should put your crap to one side for a moment and think about your Dad in all of this. He's moving on with his life, you get an extended family and most people would kill for that Dean. I do get where you are coming from, because I am in the exact same position, you're not alone Dean…remember that."

Castiel waits for a moment to see if Dean responds, but when he hears nothing in return he sighs heavily and turns to walk out.

"I guess I'll leave you alone now." Cas mutters.

Before he reaches the door, he hears a shuffle and a hand wraps tightly around his wrist. Cas' whips around to see Dean stood behind him, his hand still firmly on Cas and preventing him from moving forward. For a fleeting moment, Cas thinks he has overstepped with Dean and panics, but the sight of Dean's tears staining his cheeks and his lip still quivering slightly from the upset causes Castiel to relax.

"I'll go with you." Dean mutters, his eyes looking up to meet the blue ones in front of him.

Cas nods and smiles in relief.

"And Cas…"

"Yes Dean?"

"Thank you." Dean says quietly, with a smile.

Castiel smiles in return and goes to walk out of the bedroom, expecting Dean to follow.

What he doesn't expect is the shaky hand that was holding onto his wrist, is suddenly grabbing hold of his own hand and intertwining their fingers together.

Cas turns to look at Dean, tilting his head in confusion but Dean squeezes his hand tighter and nods for him to carry on down the stairs. He turns back and heads down the staircase, pulling Dean carefully behind him.

He figures it's Dean's way of seeking support, so Cas lets it slide and holds on just that little bit tighter.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

After some apologies for his initial reaction, a lot of hugging and eventual congratulations, Dean is finally feeling better about welcoming both Sophie and Castiel into the Winchester family.


	3. Chapter 3

Time seemed to have disappeared right from under their noses.

Everything seemed to move so quickly, the wedding was organised and a date was set exactly 6 months after the announcement of John & Sophie's engagement.

Six months later and here they all were on the wedding day, the vows, the cake, the ceremony were now done and dusted.

They partied into the night with close family and friends; the party was now dying down as the wedding drew to a close.

"It has been a good day." Castiel stated from his seat, watching John and his Mom dancing their final dance of the night.

"It's been an awesome day, best ever and hey, I guess this means you are now officially our brother." Sam chimed in, a big grin on his face.

Cas smiled in return and nodded.

"I guess it does."

John and Sophie were all set to go on their honeymoon straight after the wedding, leaving Dean, Sam and Castiel in the capable hands of Bobby Singer, John's very good childhood friend, Dean and Sam practically thought of him as their uncle.

Sophie and Castiel had sold their apartment a couple of weeks before the wedding and moved into the Winchester household, that change being even bigger than the wedding itself.

The whole family had to adjust to living with new people and it there was some testing times in the run up to the wedding. The house was big enough that Castiel got his own bedroom in the form of their previous spare room and Dean was thankful each of them still had their own space and privacy. It had only been a couple of weeks, but overall Dean decided Cas wasn't difficult to live with so far. He was a lot more uptight and prone to being a neat freak than Dean suspected at first but he wasn't overly surprised. Besides after a few more months of hanging out and getting to know his step brother to be in the run up to the big move and the wedding, Dean knew all of this was just Cas being Cas and it was all part of his charm.

"Come on ya idjits, It's late so get yourselves off to bed so I can have some peace and quiet." Bobby grumbled affectionately, ruffling Sam's hair and pushing the 13 year old in the direction of the stairs.

Castiel yawned and nodded in agreement, also heading for the stairs.

"Night Bobby" Dean said with a salute, before following suit and chasing after Cas and Sam.

"G'night boys"

When they reached the top of the stairs, Sam turned around abruptly to face Castiel and the older boy stopped, causing Dean to almost run into the back of him.

"Sam, what…" Dean started to protest but was cut off by Sam.

"I just wanted to say I'm really glad we have another brother and I'm glad it's you Cas." Sam said with a smile, throwing himself in Castiel's direction and gripping him in a tight hug.

Cas froze and awkwardly patted Sam's back, before the youngest boy pulled away.

"Thank you"

Sam shrugged and headed off to his room with a grin in place.

Castiel turned to face Dean with a strange look of affection mixed with a slightly panicked, wide eyed look and Dean couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sammy loves his hugs, no getting away from that. Don't look so afraid Cas." Dean said with a laugh.

Cas tried to wipe the wide eyed expression off his face and Dean laughed some more.

"You're adorable" Dean mumbled quietly amongst his laughter and Castiel immediately met with Dean's eyes.

"Did you just call me adorable?" Cas enquired, his head tilting to one side in confusion.

Dean wiped the grin off his face and coughed awkwardly.

"Umm, it just kinda came out…don't look at me like that…I didn't mean to..." Dean stumbled through his words before deciding it's better for him not to speak at all.

"…oh shut up and come ere Bro." Dean finished, pulling Cas into a firm hug.

Cas' breath hitched in his throat and he stiffened up slightly at the contact, he wasn't used to so many hugs and certainly never expected one off Dean.

Dean's laughter vibrated through Cas' body and he heard Dean tell him to 'relax' and immediately, seemingly on command Castiel's body relaxed against Dean's.

He brought his arms up to wrap around his step brother and Dean pulled him closer, his hands gripping Cas' shirt.

"Welcome to the family Cas." Dean whispered down Castiel's ear.

"Thank you Dean."

Cas finally smiled and relaxed some more, letting his thumbs rub small circles on Dean's back where he held on tightly.

Dean clapped him on the back and pulled out of the hug, much to Cas' disappointment just when he was getting used to this hugging business.

He grinned at Cas, squeezing his shoulder affectionately and heading off towards his room.

"Night Bro" Dean called back, with a wink.

"Goodnight Dean" Cas called back, with a smile etched on his face.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The first couple of months were the big test; John and Sophie were long back from their honeymoon and now was the time for them to settle into being an actual family.

Sam and Dean argued occasionally but seemed to have calmed down since the arrival of Cas and Sophie. Whenever Sam needed to vent about Dean, he would now go to Castiel and rant, rather than cutting into John's time with his new wife.

Of course both parents were on hand to resolve any issues and stop any arguments, but John decided early on that Cas was a God send. Castiel could diffuse most situations with his mellow nature and much to John's relief, Cas wasn't your typical 16 year old teenager and his maturity won him over.

Dean had turned 17 now and just started his final year of high school, which meant he was invited to a lot more house parties. Cas was the year below him in school, they rarely seen each other around but Dean would drive them both to and from school in his 67' Chevy impala, which he claimed was his 'baby' much to Castiel's amusement. They ran in different groups and circles around school, but Dean would always watch out for Cas, even though he didn't really need it.

While Dean tried hard to treat Cas like a brother, he still didn't feel that Brotherly connection that Sam seemed to have with Castiel and Dean couldn't help but wonder why. He liked Cas, really liked him in fact and they had grown to be good friends, maybe even best friends, this in itself was an achievement for Dean Winchester, the boy who didn't like having any friends at all. There was also some other connection with Cas that Dean couldn't quite place – not one of a Brotherly nature, but something else entirely.

The older Winchester brother was making it his mission to get his new 'brother' to loosen up somewhat and the party over at Gabriel's tonight was sure to do the trick.

"Come on Cas, you have to come." Dean whined, sitting on his knees, perched on the couch facing his step brother.

Castiel rolled his eyes and carried on studying, his nose buried deep within quite possibly the biggest book Dean had ever seen in his life.

"The answer is no Dean, I don't know your friends, I'm in the year below you, I'm pretty sure my Mom and John wouldn't be impressed and oh yes…I don't do parties."

Dean groaned in annoyance, flopping forward and resting his forehead on Cas' shoulder.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase Casssssssssssssssss" his begging muffled slightly by the cotton on Cas' t-shirt.

Cas shrugged his shoulder to get Dean off and he pulled back to give Cas his best puppy dog eyes.

"Come on don't be such a bore! As for the parental situation, It's easy…tell them it's a party with an adult chaperone and no alcohol allowed and hey presto, we can go. Come on dude, you need to just let loose for once…just this once."

He glared at Dean, before sighing loudly.

"If I go to this ONE party, will it get you off my back?"

"Yes yes yes…it will, I swear. Just this once." Dean cried out, bouncing happily on his knees and a wide grin on his face.

"Fine, I'll go." Cas muttered with a resigned sigh.

Dean leapt forward and kissed Cas sloppily on the cheek.

"YES! Damn Cas, you won't regret this, best party ever!" Dean cheered loudly, jumping off the couch and running into the kitchen to ask his Dad and Sophie's permission to go.

Castiel couldn't help but laugh at Dean's enthusiasm, truth be told he was just glad that Dean actually wanted to spend some time with him at all.

That's what family should be about.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean burst through the doors of the party with a nervous looking Cas in tow.

"GABE…dude!" Dean yelled out across the crowded room to the boy who was currently chatting some poor unsuspecting drunk girl up.

Gabriel sauntered over to Dean and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Dean-O you made it, thank fuck! Beer in the kitchen…"

Castiel sizes up Gabriel, recognising him from school. He's known as the trickster, the kind of guy who is a nice enough but will prank you at any given opportunity. Cas makes a mental note to stay on his good side.

"…this must be Castiel right?"

Gabriel asks, pushing past Dean to shake Cas' hand.

"Yes, hello" Cas says quietly and slightly suspicious.

He quirks an eyebrow when Gabriel shakes his hand, almost expecting a mild electric shock to shoot through him or some lame prank that would catch someone like Cas off guard. When nothing happens, Castiel relaxes and smiles at Gabriel.

"Go enjoy fellas…plenty to go around" Gabe says, motioning to his kitchen.

"Come on Cas" Dean shouts back over the loud music and tugs on Cas' sleeve.

When they reach the kitchen, Dean immediately grabs two beers and Cas shakes his head.

"No Dean, we are not old enough to drink, our parents would go crazy."

"Come on Cas, you have never had a beer? Not even one?"

Castiel shakes his head.

"Just one beer dude, even Dad lets me have one beer at home." Dean protested, pushing a bottle towards Cas.

He eyed the beer carefully, before snatching it away from Dean.

"Fine…just one."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Several beers later and Castiel was drunk.

"Dude you're a real lightweight" Gabe exclaimed, clapping Cas so hard on the back that he almost fell over.

"Where….where…where's umm…where's Dean?" Cas slurs, struggling to find his words.

Gabriel points in the direction and Cas follows the point to see his step brother with his tongue down some random girls throat.

"Ew" Cas mumbles unimpressed, his face scrunching up.

"What do you mean ew? She's hot dude! Dean's a lucky son of a bitch"

"Pfft" Cas scoffs, but can't help watching.

He rests his body weight against the kitchen counter and tries to steady himself.

Castiel spends the next 5 minutes watching Dean make out with the girl, a strange twinge settling in the pit of his stomach and he can't decide if it's jealousy or excitement. It's fair to say Cas doesn't do high school parties, so seeing two people make out like that isn't something he is used to seeing often and he's mildly fascinated.

"Umm Dean, I think you better take your brother home." Gabriel says with a laugh, pointing over to Cas, who is now on the floor propped against the counter and giggling hysterically at nothing.

"Ah shit, Soph and Dad are gonna kill me, when the hell did he get so drunk?" Dean exclaimed pushing past the girl he was flirting with to get to Castiel.

"Come on buddy, time to go home." Dean says loudly, trying his best to pick Cas up.

He stumbles slightly, still feeling a little drunk himself and not sure if he's able to get them home in one piece.

"DEAAAAAAAN" Cas cries out in an over exaggerated display of affection and wraps himself around his step brother in a tight hug.

Dean giggles and tries to haul Castiel outside.

"Get in the car dumbass" Dean laughs, pushing Cas into the passenger side of the impala.

He knows he shouldn't drive in his own drunken state, but at this point he has no choice.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean manages to get them home unharmed and thankfully undetected by any cops.

He fumbles with his house key, while Cas hangs onto his side heavily and both of them practically stumble through the door drunk and hysterical.

"Shhh, shhh…don't wanna wake anyone Cas...shhhh"

Dean tries to shush Cas into silence but ends up talking a lot more loudly than he intended. They both giggle as Dean tries to carefully and silently get Cas up the staircase and safely into his room.

He pushes Castiel inside his own bedroom and staggers slightly as he tries to walk to his own room down the hall.

"Deaaaan Deaaaaaaaaaan" Cas calls out loudly.

Dean is back in a shot and telling Cas to be quiet, he finds his step brother didn't even make it to his bed and Cas is now drunkenly sprawled on his bedroom floor. Dean closes the bedroom door and heads over to Cas.

"You need to be quiet dude, you will wake the whole house" Dean warns, hauling Cas up onto his bed and watching as he collapses on one side of the double bed.

Castiel reaches up and manages to drag an unsteady Dean to lie on the bed beside him and they both break into another fit of giggles.

Cas and Dean are sprawled across the bed, laughing hysterically. Castiel's head is right next to Dean's and the Winchester reaches out to cover Cas' mouth with his hand in an attempt to quieten him down.

"Shhhh Dude you're so loud" Dean says, still laughing.

He removes his hand and their eyes meet, inches apart. Suddenly the laughter dies off and Castiel surges forward kissing Dean firmly on the lips.

Dean immediately pushes at Cas' shoulders and pulls back with a look of shock in his eyes.

"Cas, what the hell?"

Castiel has the decency to look a little guilty, even in his current state and he moves away from Dean slightly, groaning quietly.

"I'm so sorry Dean…I'm sorry…I just seen you kissing that girl and it looked…nice, I wanted to know what that felt like to be kissed…Don't hate me" Cas chants, hiding his face in his hands out of embarrassment.

Dean reaches forward and removes Cas' hands from his face.

"I don't hate you…"

Dean re-assures Cas with a small fond smile.

"…have you really never kissed anyone before now?"

Cas meets Dean's eyes again and shakes his head.

"Wow"

Dean gulps loudly at the revelation, Cas really was as innocent as he came across and weirdly Dean had this sudden urge to take that away.

"Then at least let me show you how to do it properly" Dean said quietly, moving back into Cas' personal space.

Both boys could hear their own sober voices screaming in the back of their minds not to do this and how wrong this was, yet neither brother listened.

Dean pushed forward, claiming Cas' lips once more and snaking an arm around his step brothers waist to pull him closer. Castiel moaned into the kiss, giving the Winchester the chance to snake his tongue into the willing mouth against his own and earning an even louder pleasured moan from Cas.

Cas was a fast learner and in no time, they were fighting for dominance as their tongues fought against each other drunkenly and Dean nipped lightly at Cas' lips.

The younger boy's arm flew out to embrace Dean, knocking something off the bedside table and sending it crashing loudly to the floor, yet it didn't interrupt their make out session as they eagerly sought out each other's warmth and kisses.

There was a quiet knock on Cas' bedroom door and a small, tired voice called through the wooden frame.

"Cas, are you ok?"

Dean pulled back from a flushed looking Castiel and stared into his eyes, only to be startled again by a louder knock.

Without much thinking Dean reluctantly pulled out of Cas' hold and stumbled towards the bedroom door, throwing a smirk back at his step brother who in return grinned widely before Dean opened the door to reveal a tired looking Sam.

"Dean, what are you doing in here?" Sam asked sleepily.

"We haven't umm…been in long…I guess…I dunno, what do you want Sammy!" Dean snapped and Sam rolled his eyes.

"You've been drinking…" Sam stated with an unimpressed look etched on his face, he glances around Dean to see Castiel sprawled on the bed and laughing at nothing.

"…oh my God…Dean, you got Castiel drunk? Sophie and Dad are gonna kill you, both of you!"

"Would you keep it down, Dad is gonna hear."

"Dad already heard." John said, stepping out of his bedroom and closing the door behind him, making his way over to Sam and Dean.

Dean groaned in annoyance at being caught and knew both he and Cas would face punishment for drinking at the party.

"Sam, go on back to bed" John started, pushing Sam lightly in the direction of his room.

"Dad look I'm sorry…Gabe offered us some beers and it's my fault Cas is drunk…"

"Shut up Dean, I can't believe you. We trust you boys enough to go to this party and this is how you repay us? By rolling in drunk at 2am and waking up the house. Did you drive back in this state?" John scolded, still keeping his voice down for fear of waking his wife up.

Dean looked to the ground and nodded.

John sighed loudly and ran a hand down his face.

"Dean how could you be so stupid, you could have gotten yourself and Cas killed, don't ever try that again. You and Cas are both grounded for the month…"

"But Dad…"

"No, I mean it Dean, no buts. Now go to your room and sleep it off." John hisses, pointing in the direction of Dean's bedroom.

He doesn't move straight away and finally he speaks up.

"I wanna stay in here, with Cas."

John frowns at the request and shakes his head.

"Get your ass to your own room now; you're not staying in Cas' room."

"Please Dad, let me stay with him…please, I wanna stay in here." Dean protests and ends up stomping his feet like a spoilt child, earning an eye roll from John.

"Why do you want to stay with Cas so badly?"

"I dunno…wanna make sure he's ok, he's never had a drink before tonight." Dean mumbles, shuffling on his feet.

John sighs in annoyance and glances around Dean to see Cas now fast asleep on his bed.

"He will be fine; I'll check on him and sort him out. Just go to bed Dean, don't make me ask again or you'll be grounded for 2 months instead."

Dean hangs his head in defeat, but shoots one last look over his shoulder at a sleeping Cas and he can't help but smile.

Tomorrow's going to be a tough day.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Dean shuffled his way into the kitchen, to find his step Mom and his Dad cooking breakfast, Sam sat happily at the table and Castiel sat next to him, arms hanging by his sides and head resting on the table.

John whipped around with a grin on his face and threw his arms out to the side in greeting.

"MORNIN' BOY HOW'S THE HEAD?" John yelled loudly, laughing just as loud when Dean groaned and clutched his head in pain.

"Figured as much" He said with a final laugh, whispering to Sophie.

Dean flopped into the seat beside Cas, Sam grinned in amusement and Dean pulled tongues at his annoying little brother.

"Ah man, I love this song" John declared, turning the radio up full blast and singing along very badly.

He heard a groan from beside him and Dean looked down to see Cas' fists clenching by his side, clearly feeling just as hung-over as he was.

Dean mirrored Cas' actions, trying to ignore the loud music and his Dad's awful singing, he placed his forehead on the table and let his arms swing by his sides.

He cracked an eye open to peer over at Castiel who had his eyes closed tightly, trying to block out the sounds around him no doubt. Dean watched Cas' face as it scrunched up every time the music got louder or the smell of bacon wafted in the air and he couldn't help the smile that threatened to tug at his lips, memories of last night flooding back to him.

Cas finally opened his eyes, noticing Dean in the same position as he was with their heads on the table and only inches apart. Cas' eyes found Dean's and he managed a small almost secret smile, which Dean happily return before they both sat up, groaning in unison as pain thrashed around in their heads.

Sophie raced over to them both with determination, a plate of greasy food in hand and came to a stop beside her son, placing one hand on her hip and an almost too bright smile on her face.

"How about some breakfast boys?" She said cheerily, putting the plate right under their noses

Dean could feel the alcohol from last night working its way back up and he balked slightly at the smell & sight of greasy food. Cas' hand shot up to cover his mouth and like lightening, he was up out of his seat and racing out of the kitchen. Dean winced in sympathy and Sophie took the plate away with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Dad, since Dean is GROUNDED…"

Sam said, making sure to emphasise the word 'Grounded' as much as possible and throwing a smug grin in Dean's direction.

"…are you gonna take me to Garth's house for the sleepover?"

"Sleepover?" Dean mumbled, frowning at his little brother.

"Yes Dean, Garth is having a sleepover with a few classmates and I'm invited, we're gonna play games and have pizza, watch some movies."

"Sounds like a riot, shame I'm missing out." Dean scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

Sam rolled his eyes and looked over to his Dad with pleading eyes.

"Yeah don't worry son, Soph and I will drop you off on our way out."

Dean perked up at his Dad's reply and sat forward with questioning eyes.

"On your way out…are you guys going out?"

"Yeah, Sophie has an important gala for work and we have been invited along…"

"Awesome" Dean said with a smile, which immediately fell when his Dad pointed accusingly at him.

"…Don't get any ideas. Both you and Castiel are still grounded boy, Bobby isn't around tonight and this gala is too important for us to miss. Mrs Harvelle next door is gonna call round later, check up on you two and I'll be taking the Impala so don't even think about sneaking out. If I find out either of you two are getting up to no good, there will be hell to pay, got it?" John warned his eldest son.

Dean sighed and nodded in defeat.

"Yes Sir."

"Good, now hangover or not you are still gonna help me out in the garage for a couple of hours today, so go get ready."

He nodded once more, groaning slightly as he stood up and made his way out of the kitchen. The thought of being cooped up in the garage working was making him feel even worse, but the thought just occurred to him that he and Castiel would be alone tonight and Dean felt a strange mix of fear, nerves and excitement bubbling up.

Neither of them had spoken so far this morning but judging by the small smile Castiel gave him earlier, it proved that they were OK at least and Dean really wanted to push the situation to see what Cas had really made of last night.

He felt a smile tugging his lips, although he didn't understand why given the dangerous situation they could potentially be headed towards and yet Dean found himself not caring, wanting to explore a little more. This was completely new for both boys and maybe Cas was thinking of it as a drunken mistake, Dean on the other hand really enjoyed their drunken fumble and was suddenly feeling more and more curious.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

In short, Castiel was avoiding Dean.

He had spent a couple of hours helping his Dad fix up a car, before John finally gave his eldest son the sympathy vote and let Dean off the hook, told him to go and sleep off his hangover.

Dean had bumped into a still clearly hung-over Castiel upstairs, it's fair to say that Cas panicked slightly realising they were alone and he met with Dean's eyes briefly, before carefully shuffling around him and locking himself away in his room.

So maybe things weren't as OK as Dean initially thought.

He put it down to Cas still feeling 'delicate' and hoped to talk it out with him later once they both felt better.

Dean sighed and followed suit, locking himself away in his own bedroom.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Around 5pm Dean managed to drag himself out of his bedroom, getting a quick shower and thankfully feeling a lot better after some rest.

He headed downstairs to see Sophie and Castiel having a discussion in the hallway by the front door.

"I am sorry Mom, it won't happen again." Cas muttered, ducking his head.

Sophie smiled and ruffled her son's hair affectionately.

"I know sweetie, just save the drinking until you're 21 yeah?"

Cas chuckled lightly and nodded, letting his Mom pull him into a hug.

Dean sat down quietly on the staircase, watching the scene between mother and son through the banister with a smile.

"You and Dean need to stay on our good side, so best behaviour tonight."

Castiel pulled back from the hug and Dean seen his eyes go comically wide.

"Tonight is your gala, are you both going?"

"Yes sweetie, it might run a little late."

"But…Sam is staying out tonight isn't he?"

Sophie frowned and nodded, not quite understanding Castiel's worry.

"But that means it will just be Dean and I…we're supposed to be grounded but you're leaving us alone?" Cas asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"You are grounded and Mrs Harvelle will be checking on you both, although she can't stay. But we are giving you boys the chance to redeem yourself tonight and behave."

Cas nodded quickly, shuffling nervously on his feet and Dean could feel the worry radiating off his step brother from where he sat on the step.

"I will, we will…but do you have to go?" Cas mumbled, puppy dog eyes coming into play.

*Shut up Cas* Dean thought to himself, hoping he wasn't going to screw this up for them. They needed to talk things over and tonight was the perfect time to do that.

"Yes Castiel, this gala is very important to me, you know this. Why? do you not want to stay alone with Dean?"

Dean held his breath for a moment, expecting the 'no' to fall from Cas' lips and for his heart to sink a little, but it never came.

"Of course I want to stay with Dean; I was just surprised you were leaving us alone so soon, after last night's events."

He let out a breath of relief and took that as his queue to stand up and continue down the stairs.

Cas' eyes immediately darted to Dean as he bounded down the stairs, looking a lot more alive than he had earlier.

"Hey Cas, feeling alright?" Dean asked, reaching out to squeeze Castiel's shoulder.

He felt his step brother jump slightly under the touch, but he relaxed almost immediately and stiffly nodded at Dean.

Dean waited for a moment to hear an actual response, when he got nothing back other than wide blue eyes staring back at him, Dean shrugged and let go of Cas, moving past him into the living room.

Tonight was going to be more difficult than Dean anticipated.


	5. Chapter 5

"Any problems at all, I have my cell on me. Please for the love of all that's good and pure, just behave yourselves. Just sit like nice normal kids and watch a Saturday night movie or somethin'. Ellen will be by later to check on you both." John said to Dean and Castiel, as he put his coat on.

"Yes Sir" Dean and Castiel replied in synch with each other, causing Sam to laugh out loud.

"Sir, yes sir" He mocked, saluting Dean and Castiel, earning a glare from his brothers' and a slap around the head from his Dad.

"Ouch" Sam mumbled, rubbing his head and pouting.

"We might be back quite late, don't wait up and we'll see you both later." Sophie said with a smile, opening the front door and motioning the two Winchesters out of it.

"Later boys."

"Bye guys, see you tomorrow"

"Goodbye, have fun" Cas said, giving a small wave as they all headed out.

As soon as they all cleared out, Dean shut the front door behind them and locked it. When he turned back, Cas was already gone and sitting in the living room, simply staring at a crappy commercial on TV.

Dean entered the living room and leant against the door frame, watching Castiel.

"Wanna order a pizza?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at Cas who was still staring at the TV.

"I don't mind, whatever you want." Castiel mumbled, still refusing to look in his step brother's direction.

Dean sighed loudly and made his way over to the couch, grabbing the TV remote and turning it off. He sat down next to Cas, who was still staring at the now blank television screen.

"I'm guessing since you're avoiding me, ignoring me and generally acting like a dick means you remember what happened last night? Gotta say Cas, it doesn't exactly warm the cockles of my heart."

Castiel finally tore his eyes from the TV set and looked at Dean, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"I remember and I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude or a dick…it's just….I feel somewhat embarrassed. I have never been drunk before and I just lost control, I feel ridiculous…I kissed my step brother, I'm so sorry Dean." Castiel explained, tearing his eyes away and wringing his hands together nervously.

Dean nodded in understanding, of course Cas was feeling embarrassed that's what usually comes after a night of drinking and Dean couldn't help but feel bad for the guy, he had obviously been running over last night in his head and wondering what the hell he was supposed to say to Dean.

"Cas, are you…gay?" Dean asked quietly, the words rolling off his tongue before he even thought to speak.

He looked up in time to see Castiel nodding, his gaze fixed firmly on the floor.

"Yes…are you?" Cas responded, both of them suddenly realising the one thing they had never really spoken about was girlfriends or boyfriends. Although Cas distinctly remembers Dean's tongue down a girls throat last night and he suddenly feels stupid for asking.

Dean seemed to think about his answer for a moment, frowning slightly and trying to work out his answer.

"No…I dunno, at least I didn't think so…"

Castiel frowned and their eyes met, Dean gulped loudly before continuing.

"…not until last night anyways."

Cas' breath hitched at the declaration and he stared wide eyed at his step brother. Dean could feel his body moving towards Cas before he could question it and before either boy could think, Dean's lips were crushed against Castiel's.

Dean took the upper hand, crowding against Cas and licking his lips begging for entrance, when Castiel moaned at the contact, Dean once again took the opportunity to dive straight it. His tongue moved in perfect synch with Cas' and he snaked a hand to the back of his step brothers neck to deepen the kiss further and hold him in place.

Before Cas could protest, Dean was pushing the other boy to lie down on the couch with Dean on top and not breaking the kiss for a moment. Dean moaned in pleasure as the lengths of their bodies connected from chest to hips and smiled against Cas' mouth when he felt eager hands wrapping around his waist to pull him closer.

This was their second make out session in the past 24 hours and both of them couldn't help but think it was much better when sober. Dean licked and nipped at Cas' lips, running his own hands up and down Cas' sides. Castiel's hips bucked up on instinct and he froze for a moment, feeling a shock of pure pleasure rack his system to the max. Dean pulled back from the kiss and smirked at Cas' reaction, purposely rolling his hips down against the ones beneath him and watching as Cas' eyes rolled back in his head, his hips meeting the thrust to get more contact.

"Damn Cas." Dean muttered, claiming his step brother's lips one more time.

The boy beneath him moaned loudly into Dean's mouth and eagerly bucked his hips looking for friction, both of them lost entirely in a cloud of lust.

When Castiel felt a hand working its way under his t-shirt, his rational thinking was back full force and he broke their kiss, pushing Dean's hand away.

"Stop…please, Dean Get off me."

Dean moved back, removing his hand and frowning in confusion.

"Cas what?"

"Please, just you need to get off me…Dean get off." Cas said, panicking and pushing at Dean until he obeyed and slid off Castiel, sitting back on the couch.

He watched at Cas stood up and started pacing the room in a panic.

"Woah woah, what the hell Cas? What's wrong?"

Cas suddenly looks Dean right in the eye and takes a deep breath.

"This is wrong Dean. What are we doing? This is wrong on so many levels…I can't deal with this. You're my brother Dean…"

He stood up abruptly and stalked over to Cas, grabbing his shoulders.

"STEP brother…not blood Cas remember that. Sure ok, it's a little weird but I like you ok? I don't know why or when it happened, but I like you and that doesn't feel wrong to me." Dean said calmly, causing Cas to look back up at him.

"I like you too but Dean…"

"Do you want me Cas?"

Dean said interrupting his step brother, still keeping a firm hold on his shoulders. He watched as Cas battled with his own mind and mulled the situation over, before meeting with Dean's stare.

"Yes." Castiel states to Dean, nodding in reply.

He smiles and crowds Cas' personal space, letting go of his shoulders in favour of holding Cas' hips and placing small, almost loving kisses along his step brothers' neck.

Dean feels Cas shiver under the contact and continues to kiss his neck, rubbing circles with his thumbs into the other boys hips.

Finally he feels Cas sigh and give in, arms wrapping securely around Dean's waist and burying his head into Dean's neck.

He wraps his own arms around Castiel and holds him closely.

"We are so screwed Dean." Cas mumbles into Dean's neck.

"Looks that way."

Cas pulls out of the hug, biting his bottom lip and playing with the hem of Dean's t-shirt.

"What are we doing Dean?" He says quietly, staring at a loose thread on the shirt.

Dean puts two fingers under Cas' chin and forces him to look up.

"We are doing what feels right for us." Dean says, smiling at Cas and running a hand through his hair.

"Not sure everyone else will see it that way"

"I don't care and you shouldn't either, this is trial and error Cas. I like you…you like me, what's a little kissing between step brothers?" Dean says with a laugh.

Castiel chuckles in return and punches Dean lightly on the arm.

"Not funny Dean."

He backs away from Cas and holds out his hand. Castiel takes it immediately and Dean Starts leading them upstairs, he feels Cas tug slightly and retract in panic.

"It's ok, no funny business I swear." Dean re-assures and Cas relaxes enough to let his older step brother lead him upstairs to Castiel's room.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Castiel strips down to his boxer shorts and t-shirt, watching as Dean does the same. His eyes glaze over Dean and he suddenly feels nervous, even though Dean has re-assured Cas there will be no 'funny business'.

Dean grins at the attention and playfully wiggles his eyebrows, pulling a surprised Castiel into another kiss. It's brief and Dean pulls back, leading Cas to his bed.

Both boys get into bed and Dean immediately feels Castiel crowd closer to him, wrapping arms around Dean's waist. He smiles, returning the embrace and kissing the top of Cas' head.

"You know, Sam told me a few months ago that he felt a 'brotherly bond' with you…"

Dean started to speak, absentmindedly running his hand up and down Cas' arm as he spoke. Castiel's ear perked up and he listened intently to Dean.

"…I felt jealous because I didn't feel that brotherly bond with you. I guess now, I know why." Dean finished with a small laugh, pulling Cas closer.

Castiel laughed too and nodded in agreement.

"I never felt like that with you either, I'm socially awkward, I don't have friends and I'm not good with people. I don't know what it is about you Dean…I mean you terrified me when we first met." Cas said with a chuckle.

"I did?"

"Yes, you were loud, obnoxious and I knew we were very different people straight away. But over time we seemed to connect, I feel closer to you than I do Sam and you're right it's not a brotherly connection…it's something else entirely and I don't want to lose that connection. This, what we are doing right now…makes it feel stronger somehow, no matter how wrong it is." Cas finished explaining, leaning up to kiss Dean lightly on the lips

Dean nodded in agreement, brushing his hand through Cas' hair.

"I don't want to lose this either, I like you Cas. This is new for me, new for both of us but I want to try."

"They'll hate us Dean, if they ever found out…" Cas said sadly, resting his forehead against Dean's.

"Then they never find out." Dean states with a shrug and Cas can't help but think that will never work and they would eventually be caught but he wants this just as much as Dean. If it means sneaking around, then so be it.

Cas nods slowly and pulls Dean into another kiss.

The moment their lips touch, it seems all logic and sense disappears, Cas can't find it in himself to care about any of the worries eating away at him right now. All he cares about is kissing Dean, being in bed with Dean.

All the concerns and worries are put to one side, they spend most of the night talking and indulging in heavy make out sessions which make both boys heads spin with pleasure. They are briefly interrupted at one point when Ellen knocks on the door, but they manage to throw some clothing on and lie their way through the brief meeting with their neighbour before she was satisfied and returned home.

As quickly as they raced down the stairs, they were stripped down, back in bed and the make out sessions continued. There are light innocent touches throughout and everything is kept clean, knowing that neither of them is ready to get physical so soon.

Dean and Castiel are currently wrapped up together, lips joined once again and tongues exploring each other's mouths when they hear voices downstairs. Immediately they pull apart and Dean quickly hauls himself out of the bed, leaning over to place a kiss on Cas' nose before darting back to his own room. Cas chuckles and leans back in his bed, his head still whirling with happiness.

Five minutes later, Castiel hears his door creak open and quickly closes his eyes pretending to be asleep. When the door closes over, he hears hushed voices in the hallway outside of his room.

"Dean's asleep too, gotta say I'm impressed they're even in bed so early…" John whispers.

"Me too, it's late we should get some sleep. It's been a long night."

Castiel hears John and his Mom close the door to their own bedroom, after some shuffling around in the bathroom and hallway.

It's not too long before Cas hears his door creak open again and he glances over to see Dean sneaking back in. He watches with a smile as Dean closes the door behind him and shuffles back over, climbing into Cas' bed.

"I'm staying here tonight." Dean mumbles, pressing a kiss against Cas' cheek and pulling him close.

Castiel smiles and nods, snuggling in beside his step brother and in no time Dean is asleep, snoring lightly.

He smiles again, kissing the top of Dean's head and before Cas feels himself drifting off into his own slumber, he can't help but think they are most definitely screwed.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam jumped out of the car and ran up to the Winchester house, shouting back to Garth and his Mom.

"See ya Garth, thanks Mrs Fitzgerald"

He let himself into the Winchester household and dropped his bag by the front door, making his way into the kitchen.

"Morning!"

John looked up from his newspaper frowning at his youngest son and checking his watch.

"Sammy, its only 11am, how come you're back so early from Garth's? I said I'd pick you up later boy."

"Mrs Fitzgerald wanted to go shopping…to Walmart…" Sam explained, adding an over exaggerated shiver to the mention of the superstore.

"…She was dragging Garth, so I could either go with or come home. I opted to come home, I don't do shopping."

Both Sophie and John chuckled.

"I hear ya son."

Sam glanced around looking for any sign of his brother's.

"Where are Dean and Cas? Did they behave last night?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Surprisingly yes and they were both in their bedrooms sound asleep when we got in last night." Sophie said with a smile.

"That having been said, the lazy idjits are still in bed." John mumbled, continuing to read his paper.

"I'll go wake em!" Sam cried out with a mischievous grin, before practically darting out of the kitchen and upstairs.

"Riseee and shine De-…"

Sam opened the door to Dean's room, not bothering to knock and frowned when he seen an empty bed. He couldn't help but think there was something very wrong with this picture, not only was his brother's bed empty but it looked un-slept in.

He decided to try Cas' room, making his way up the hallway and stopping outside of the door. Out of politeness, Sam knocked quietly and when he heard no reply, he decided to just go in.

Sam pushed the door open and could see curtains drawn, the room in darkness with a clear lump in the bed.

*Obviously Cas is here at least* he thought, shuffling closer to the bed with the intention of waking up his step-brother.

It was only when Sam got closer that he noticed two lumps in the bed, he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Dean spooning Cas in the bed, both of them fast asleep and without a care in the world.

He frowned in confusion, noticing the way Dean's arms were encircling Cas' waist, his head pressed into the back of Cas' neck and nose buried deep within his unruly hair. Castiel looked just as content, his body perfectly in line and pressed back against Dean's, his hands loosely holding onto Dean's arms in an embrace.

Sam winced at the sight, not knowing what to make of it and debated on whether or not to still wake them up. He decided against it and bolted from the room, closing the door behind him and stopping to mull over the situation.

In the youngest brother's mind he could only come up with two options, either they had gotten drunk (again) and ended up in rather embarrassing drunken conundrum where they fell into bed and passed out.

Or maybe they were watching a movie on the bed and fell asleep, somehow manoeuvring themselves into their current position through the night. Yes, that must be it.

*What the hell else would it be?* Sam thought in confusion, his too young and too innocent mind only briefly passing by that it could be intentional and that was weird right? Sam and Dean had shared a bed before, but cuddling your brother? That was just too weird.

Sam shrugged it off and bounced back downstairs, heading back into the kitchen for pancakes.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean woke up first, twitching his nose as he came around and pulled back slightly from the hair tickling it. It took him a moment to remember where he was and who with but when he did, Dean happily buried his face back into Cas' hair and kissed the back of his neck.

"Wake up Cas" He muttered down Cas' ear, earning a groan from his step-brother.

He kissed the back of his neck again, his hands subconsciously gripping Cas' waist more tightly.

"Come on dude, rise and shine." Dean said, more loudly this time and watching as Cas' eyes finally fluttered open.

Cas' hands immediately met with his sleepy blue eyes, rubbing them in an attempt to wake up and Dean chuckled at the sight.

"Ok that was just stupidly cute." Dean said with a laugh, nuzzling Cas' neck.

Castiel turned around with Dean's arms staying in place around him and he kissed his step-brother on the nose.

"Good Morning Dean" He muttered with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Hmmm, good mornin' indeed." Dean hummed, placing a brief kiss on Cas' lips.

Cas chucked lightly and pressed closer to Dean, sighing in content.

"Dunno why, but this doesn't feel as weird as it should. Waking up next to my step brother…" Dean wondered out loud, feeling Cas shift to look up at him.

He nodded in agreement and frowned slightly.

"I agree, it's weird that it isn't…weird" Cas said with a huff of laughter.

"I'm glad; I could stay here all day." Dean said with a smile.

"Me too."

They shared a secret smile and Dean held his step brother closely, humming a Metallica tune under his breath.

Their peace was shattered by the sound of a plate clanging to the floor downstairs and both of the boys jumped at the sudden noise.

"Shit, I forgot they would be home" Dean said, shaking his head and groaning loudly.

"We better get down there Dean; it's almost 11:30." Cas said, pulling from Dean's embrace.

Castiel laughed as he would swear he just heard Dean Winchester whimper like a puppy, but of course Dean would deny all knowledge.

"I guess" He grumbled, also pulling himself out of the bed.

"I'll go first, we should head downstairs separately." Cas suggested, pulling on a pair of sweat pants over his boxer shorts.

He strolled over to Dean who was sat on the edge of the bed and leant down, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before heading out of the door.

Dean grinned widely and fell backwards on the bed, he couldn't remember a time he had ever felt this giddy or happy before right now.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Cas took a seat at the breakfast table next to Sam and greeted his family.

"Good morning how was the gala last night?" He asked politely, earning a grin from his Mom.

She continued to ramble on to her son about the gala and John occasionally joining in, smiling at the memories from last night. Yet Castiel couldn't help but notice the confused head tilt Sam was throwing his way, Cas knew that look well…that was HIS look.

Dean decided to burst into the kitchen happily about 5 minutes later and flopped down on a chair between Cas and his Dad.

"Mornin', whatcha doin' home already Sammy?" Dean asked, grabbing a slice of toast from the table and smothering it in butter.

Sam shrugged, mumbling something that resembled 'cause I felt like it' and Dean shrugged in return.

"Fair enough, how was your sleepover?" Dean asked, now smothering his toast with a thick layer of Jam and earning a disgusted look from both his Dad and Cas.

The younger Winchester brother grinned and put down his fork, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms.

"It was good…how was your sleepover?"

Cas frowned and glanced over to look at Dean, who was also looking lost.

"Umm, I didn't have a sleepover."

"Sure you did, you and Cas…sleeping in the same room counts as a sleepover." Sam said with a smirk, leaving out the part about sleeping in the same bed, to save his brothers at least some embarrassment.

Sam noticed Castiel's eyes suddenly go wide; Dean's also went comically wide for a moment before he straightened himself out and coughed awkwardly. Sam watched the two of them amused and seen his Dad perk up, taking a sudden interest.

"Sammy, the boys slept in their own rooms last night. What are you goin' on about?" John enquired with a deep set frown.

"Oh really because I could have sworn…" Sam started, watching Dean suddenly stand up abruptly and drawing attention to himself.

"Yeah well you were clearly wrong." Dean muttered harshly, before stalking out of the kitchen.

"What's got into him? He was so cheery a minute ago" Sophie asked curiously, taking her place at the table.

Castiel knocked back the last of his orange juice and stood up.

"I'll go talk to him, I'm sure he's fine." Cas said with a small, re-assuring smile.

He found Dean sitting on the edge of the couch in the living room, Cas walked in and was about to open his mouth to speak when he heard a creak behind him and saw that Sam had followed.

"You ok Dean? I was only playing around." Sam spoke up first, shuffling awkwardly on his feet.

Cas looked back to Dean with concern in his eyes and Dean nodded once, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"Yeah of course, just a little tired. I know Sammy, don't worry."

"It's just I seen…"

"What did you see?" Cas said in a panic, jumping in as Sam was starting to speak.

Dean was quickly up on his feet and by Cas' side, discreetly placing a hand on his step brothers back in an attempt to silently calm him down.

"I came to wake you guys up this morning and you were kind of cuddling in bed. It was so weird…"

Both Dean and Castiel's hearts sped up to a ridiculously fast pace and all they could think was, they had already been caught and this whatever this 'thing' is between them, could possibly be over before it's even begun.

"…Just figured you guys had fell asleep watching a movie and ended up in a weird position, I know Dean moves a lot when he sleeps. I was gonna wind you guys up about it, figured you would be a little embarrassed but I didn't mean to upset you."

They both sighed and visibly relaxed, Dean plastered on another smile although this time it was genuine.

"Yeah, sure that's what happened. It was a little embarrassing but hey, good job we're close. We just laughed about it…but good on you Sammy, finally growing a pair and joining in on the pranks, gotta love the influence I have over you." Dean said proudly, ruffling Sam's hair and trying to get away from the current conversation.

Sam batted his older brother's hand away and laughed.

"Whatever, I thought I'd really upset you there for a minute! Jerk" Sam muttered.

"Bitch" Dean retorted with a grin, before watching Sam pull tongues at him and disappearing back to the kitchen.

Dean immediately spun around on his heel to face Cas, grabbing hold of his shoulder and noting that his step brother still looked slightly panicked.

"Cas you ok there?"

"He caught us Dean! It hasn't even been 24 hours before we decided to give in to…whatever this is and Sam already caught us in bed together." Cas rambled in a panic, his hands flailing in the air.

"Woah woah, calm down dude, he thought nothing of it besides it was perfectly innocent, he just thought it was a little weird and I guess we will just have to be more careful in future ok?" Dean re-assured, pulling Cas into a hug.

He felt Cas nod against his shoulder and sigh loudly, before pulling back.

"If we're going to do this then we definitely need to be more careful Dean. If they found out we spent the night making out in bed together, they would go crazy. It's not normal Dean."

"Maybe not, but I'm not letting you go now that I got you. So we will just be more careful, even if it means saving the smooches for when they're out of the house, k?"

Cas let out a huff of amused laughter, rolling his eyes and nodding in agreement.

"Good." Dean said with a grin and pulling Cas in for a firm kiss on the lips.

Immediately he shook out of Dean's grip and stared back wide eyed.

"DEAN!"

"Sorry, that was the last time I swear"

Dean wiggled his eyebrows and smacked Cas playfully on the ass, causing his step brother to blush furiously. He chuckled, throwing Cas a wink before heading back into the kitchen.

Castiel couldn't help but smile, following Dean back into the kitchen and attempting to keep his blushing to a minimum.

The remainder of the day went on as normal except for those few secret smiles that Dean and Castiel shared from time to time.

The rest of the family had no idea that the new found step brothers were hiding a big secret.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been almost a month since Dean and Castiel had encountered their first kiss, their family was still none the wiser and feelings seemed to be growing daily on both parts.

Nights were spent sneaking into one another's bedrooms when everyone was asleep, Cas had scolded Dean when he first appeared in his doorway and reminded him they were supposed to be careful after having been caught first time around.

It didn't take long for Castiel to give in and he let Dean have his way, curling up with Castiel most nights and setting an alarm for early morning before everyone was up, meaning he could make it back into his own room in time. Even Castiel had taken to showing up in Dean's room if his step brother was taking too long and they would simply kiss for a long while, maybe chat some more before drifting off to sleep.

By this point, both parties found they couldn't sleep at all anymore if it wasn't with one another.

Their nightly chats led onto getting to know each other more, the intimacy of being so close in bed and spending more time together daily, meant they learnt one another's habits and quirks up close and personal. Dean loved the way Cas' nose would scrunch up when he laughed or grinned happily bearing his teeth. Cas loved Dean's lips, the feel of them against his own and the fact they were so pouty, that it even made Castiel laugh, noting Dean gets very pouty when having to leave his bed every morning.

Of course, there was always frustration for numerous reasons. The first being that they couldn't be open anywhere else; they couldn't curl up and watch a movie together on the couch unless everyone was out of the house for a long while. They couldn't greet each other at the breakfast table with a kiss or randomly show any sort of affection in public or around the house, for fear that people would catch onto their secret or find it incredibly strange, at least making them suspicious.

The other frustration was of course the sex or lack of it.

Both Dean and Castiel knew they were both still technically underage, Cas at 16 and Dean now 17. But the constant sharing of one bed, kissing, cuddling and waking up together with morning wood on a daily basis was starting to frustrate both of them – they are hormonal teenage boys after all, although neither boy would admit it to their own frustration.

Both boys were virgins, but Dean knew a little more about it than Cas, having previously made out with ex-girlfriends and copping a feel along the way but never quite making it all the way. Dean found his hands wandering on occasion, when they were kissing in bed, Dean found his hand would subconsciously make its way down Cas' body in an attempt to explore, finding himself getting more and more worked up and horny. The times Dean had even attempted to explore, Cas had subtly pulled his hands back up to a safer area and continued their kissing. Dean would never push Castiel unless he was ready, but he would be the first to admit that he may have rubbed himself against Cas' warm body one morning when he woke up with the worst morning wood he had ever experienced. Of course, Dean isn't proud of himself and he couldn't go through with it having bottled out after a few sly rubs, ending up locked in the bathroom and jerking off until he came quietly with Cas' name on his lips. Castiel dealt with his own frustration, learning that his body reacted to Dean's touches noticeably and it was becoming more frequent, leading to Cas having panicked moments and making sure they stayed strictly on the PG rating for now at least. But it wasn't getting more difficult by the day.

At this stage it was clear to both of them that this 'thing' they had discovered, this 'thing' that started out as curiosity was quickly developing into feelings the more they discovered about one another and it would no doubt get them into trouble one day. Dean re-assured Castiel daily that the day that happens would be a long time from now and no matter what, he's not giving Cas up, not for anyone.

That night when Dean declared this, Castiel cuddled closer to him than he ever had before and had the perfect night's sleep wrapped up in his step brother's arms.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Dad, Sophie…you home?" Dean called out as he and Cas came through the front door of the Winchester house.

Sam had stayed behind in school to attend a book club, to which Dean had rolled his eyes and asked Sam to call him when he needed to be collected. Cas and Dean arrived home from school expecting to find their parent's in their usual positions watching TV or Sophie preparing dinner, while John read his paper but tonight was different.

"Mom?" Cas called out, entering the empty living room.

He spied a note on the coffee table and read it out loud.

"Boys, we have just popped out to get some food in for dinner tonight. Be back soon x"

Cas turned around holding the note in hand and glanced up to Dean, noticing a mischievous grin spreading across his step brother's face.

"Home alone huh..." Dean drawled, taking careful strides towards Cas, plucking the note from his hands and tearing it up, letting the pieces drop to the floor.

"...I can come up with a few reasons why this is definitely a GOOD thing…this being the first." Dean ended, pulling Cas into a passionate kiss and causing his step brother to yelp in surprise.

Cas quickly adjusted, wrapping his arms around Dean's neck and deepening their kiss. Dean pushed Cas' trenchcoat off, discarding it on the floor and pulling his own leather jacket off in return, their lips never parting.

He led Cas backwards towards the couch, gently pushing him to sit down and following him down, Dean's thighs either side of his step brother, straddling Cas' hips.

Cas looked up at Dean with wide, slightly concerned but lust filled blue eyes.

"Dean what-"

He was cut off by Dean's lips on his neck, licking and suckling on the sensitive skin there. Cas moaned loudly, his hips bucking upwards and bumping against Dean's, causing both boys to gasp. Immediately they stopped, Dean pulled back with curious eyes and stared right at his step brother.

Castiel nodded once, almost as though giving permission and Dean smirked in triumph. He pushed his hips back down, grinding hard and heavy against Cas', causing another loud moan to erupt from his step brother. Dean's lips came crashing back down onto Cas' and tongues now tangling with desperation, both of them well on the way to giving into the lust, the sexual tension that had been growing between them for a month now.

Dean could feel his erection pushing insistently against his jeans, encouraging the grinding of his hips when his own clothed erection found Cas' on every push downwards. Dean's hand moved of its own accord, sliding down Cas' clothed chest and finding the button on his step brothers jeans.

He broke out of their kiss, both boys now flushed and panting heavily. Dean had never seen Cas looked so worked up before and hoped this was finally it for them, that they would finally go a little further in their encounter.

Dean's fingers brushed lightly against Cas' button on his jeans, his other hand found the back of Cas' neck and he stroked the short strands of hair that rested on the nape, making Cas feel more at ease.

"Are you sure about this?" Dean asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice as he played with Cas' button, causing his step brother to shiver with anticipation.

Castiel stared into Dean's eyes, lust practically overshadowing any concerns he previously held and he nodded, smiling in encouragement. His hand slid down Dean's covered chest and torso, sighing at the muscles he felt ripple slightly underneath. Cas followed Dean's example and came to a stop at the button on the other boy's jeans, Dean could do nothing but stay perfectly still and watch Cas explore for the first time.

He popped the button on Dean's jeans first, much to his step brother's surprise and the zipper soon followed, that's when Cas came to a stop and looked back up wide eyed at Dean.

"I don't know what…I'm…Dean…"

Noticing Cas' distress, Dean leant in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, pulling back with a smile.

"It's ok baby, follow my lead" Dean instructed, finally popping the button and pulled down the zipper on Cas' jeans.

Dean pushed his hand inside of the denim, rubbing Cas' erection over his boxer shorts and smirking in success when Cas threw his head backwards against the couch, groaning loudly and bucking his hips.

He finally wriggled his hands inside of Cas' underwear and the moan of relief that left his step brother's mouth, when Dean finally wrapped his hand around Cas' hard cock was truly glorious and Dean decided he wanted to hear it all the time, as often as possible.

Dean stroked Cas' cock slowly, swiping his palm over the head and collecting the wet that gathered there, making his movements easier and more pleasurable for Castiel.

"Oh God Dean" Cas moaned loudly, his hand still hovering over Dean's open jeans.

His eyes rolled back in his head when Dean picked up his speed, squeezing and stroking so perfectly that Cas knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"Its ok gorgeous, I got you" Dean hummed into Cas' ear.

Castiel felt his orgasm building and snapping back to reality, he quickly pushed his hand into Dean's pants, immediately grabbing hold of his cock and stroking him at a fast, punishing speed.

"Holy fuck Cas!" Dean cried out, pushing his hips against Cas' hand and his mind briefly noting that Castiel picks things up quickly.

Both boys' movements were shaky, stuttering slightly at the feel of them both approaching orgasm. Dean groaned loudly as Cas' hand sped up some more and swiping his thumb over the head. He followed suit doing the same to Cas and he felt his step brother shiver wildly under him.

"Dean I'm so close" Cas moaned, burying his head in Dean's neck.

"Come on Cas, just let it go…come on" Dean encouraged, speeding his movements up and feeling Castiel's entire body shake as his orgasm wracked his body at full force.

Cas practically screamed into Dean's neck and shuddered, feeling himself literally explode under Dean's touches.

The warm feeling of Cas' come soaking his hand, pushed Dean to the edge and with a few more lazy strokes from a blissed out Castiel, Dean was also coming with a shout of his step brothers name.

Their foreheads rested together, both panting heavily and shaking from the aftershock. Dean removed his hand from Cas' jeans and Cas followed his example, their eyes met and Cas smiled up at Dean, pulling him down with his clean hand to bring Dean into a lazy kiss.

"That was incredible." Cas mumbled against Dean's lips.

Dean pulled back chuckling, nodding in agreement.

"Hell yeah, about freakin time"

He pulled his t-shirt off, laughing some more as he watched Cas' eyes go wide with renewed lust at the sight of Dean's naked chest.

"Down boy" Dean said with a laugh, cleaning his hand and Cas' hand with the t-shirt.

Dean hummed happily under his breath, leaning in to steal another kiss and smiling when he felt Cas' hands roaming over his chest.

The sound of Sophie's car pulling up on the drive alerted them both and they pulled back in a panic, Dean jumping off Castiel and pulling him to his feet.

"Shit…quick get upstairs…go go go" Dean said, tucking himself back into his pants and watching Cas doing the same as they raced up the stairs.

Sophie opened the front door, John following behind grumbling away with arms full of groceries and immediately heading for the kitchen, while Sophie entered the living room.

She spied Cas' trenchcoat in the middle of the floor in a heap and Dean's jacket lying next to it, with a frown she picked up both coats and hung them up, calling up the stairs.

"Boys, we're home"

Almost on queue Dean and Cas came downstairs, Dean wearing a new t-shirt. Sophie stood with a frown and her arms crossed across her chest.

"Hey you're back…" Castiel said with a smile, which quickly faded when he seen his Mom's posture.

"What have you two been up to?" She asked, just as John made his way to join them.

Cas and Dean felt the panic erupt inside of them, both boy's standing stock still and gaping slightly not knowing what to say.

"What's going on?" John asked suspiciously.

"Well it seems our boys get up to no good while we're out…"

Dean's mouth went dry and he could feel Castiel tense up beside him.

"…coat's thrown across the living room floor in a pile, cushions from the couch on the floor too, not to mention to ripped up pieces of paper scattered everywhere…honestly boys just because we're not home doesn't give you an excuse to be messy and next time you can both clean up after yourselves, I'm not here to pick up after you." Sophie scolded them with a warning finger, before heading into the kitchen.

John chuckled and shook his head, patting them both on the shoulders before following to help.

Both of them let out a massive sigh of relief and glanced at each other sharing a look that screamed out 'Thank God!'.

A little while after their lucky escape, Dean got a call to pick up Sam and the family sat down to dinner that evening.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

When dinner was finished, Cas offered to do the dishes and the rest of the family headed for the living room to settle down for some evening television.

Castiel was busy scrubbing the plates in the sink, when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist and he suddenly jumped, turning his head as best he could to see Dean grinning at him.

"What are you doing? What if they walk in here?" Cas hissed quietly, tensing some more when Dean pressed against his back and rested his chin on Cas' shoulder.

"Relax; they're chillin' watching a movie." Dean muttered, nibbling Cas' earlobe.

Cas gave in, letting Dean kiss and lick along his neck while he continued to do the dishes as best he could with a wide smile on his face.

"I don't think I've ever felt this…" Cas started to whisper quietly, focusing on the dishes in his hands, movements coming to a stop for a moment.

"What?" Dean asked, resting his chin on Cas' shoulder once more and squeezing tightly around his waist in encouragement.

"Happy, content…giddy with joy" Cas finished with a huff of laughter, turning his head to face Dean.

Dean smiled affectionately and kissed Cas softly.

"I think I'm falling for you" Dean mumbled against Cas' lips and felt them twitch into a smile against his own.

"I think I've already fallen" Cas replied with another kiss to Dean's lips.

They pulled apart and shared a loving smile; Dean kissed Cas' shoulder as his step brother returned to the dishes in front of him.

"Dean, are you out here?" John called, footsteps nearing the kitchen.

Dean quickly removed himself from Cas and stood by his side, grabbing a towel and one of the dishes, pretending to dry.

Both of them heard John enter the kitchen and come to a stop.

"Castiel, what the hell have you done to my son?"

Cas glanced sideways to Dean in panic, before whirling around to face John.

"What do you mean?" He asked nervously, feeling Dean Shift beside him and turn around.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day somebody got Dean to help with the dishes, it's a freakin miracle." John said, finally breaking into a grin and laughing.

Dean laughed along with him mockingly before throwing the towel at his Dad.

"Very funny"

Cas let out a breath and laughed.

"What can I say, I'm a good influence." Cas said with a small smile, before turning back around and continuing.

"Can't deny that for a second. Dean needs someone like you around" John said affectionately, before heading out of the kitchen.

Dean could hear John telling Sophie and Sam that he was finally pulling his weight around here, to which Dean rolled his eyes.

"They need to stop doing that, I always think we have been caught." Cas mumbled, scrubbing at the plates.

"You're just paranoid" Dean mumbled in return, laughing and flicking bubbles at Cas.

Cas glared at Dean, before breaking into laughter and shoving a handful of bubbles in Dean's face for revenge.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean spent that night in Castiel's bed again, the following morning he didn't set an alarm. He simply lay next to his step brother and decided it was worth the risk of being caught, just to watch Castiel sleeping peacefully.

He couldn't help but wonder if this would last forever.

But he could at least hope.


	8. Chapter 8

"CHRISTMAS BREAK BITCHES!"

Gabriel yelled loudly through the school corridor, whooping and fist punching the air, with a giant grin on his face.

Dean laughed at his enthusiasm and turned back to his locker, shuffling around for anything he needed to take home with him over Christmas break.

He felt someone lean heavily against the lockers beside him and glanced to see his childhood friend and neighbour Jo Harvelle rolling her eyes, picking at her nails.

"Urgh does Gabe ever shut up? Seriously." She said with a sigh, opening her locker and stuffing her school book inside before slamming it shut.

"Wow Jo, really feeling the Christmas spirit this year huh?" Dean said with a laugh, closing his own locker and leaning back against them.

"Shut up Winchester, you better have bought me that CD I wanted or you will see NO Christmas spirit ever again." She said seriously, pointing a warning finger at her best friend.

Dean rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Guess you won't find out till the day itself"

"Screw that I'm opening my presents on Christmas Eve…" Jo said with a triumphant smile.

"Right, right…cause you're such a rebel" Dean huffed in amusement, earning a punch to the gut.

Dean caught sight of Cas walking towards his own locker with his buddy Chuck and a grin broke out across his face. Jo scrunched up her face in distaste and glanced to whatever it was Dean was grinning at, noticing his step brother a little further up the corridor.

Cas looked over and caught Dean's eye, giving him a smile and a small wave, before turning to continue his conversation with Chuck.

"You know Winchester; if you smile any wider your face will stay that way."

"Would that be a bad thing?" Dean asked, now frowning at Jo.

"Hell yeah it would. Dean Winchester smiling like that is a rare occurrence and hell if your face stuck that way…creeeeeeeepy" Jo finished, singing out her final word.

"Yeah well, anyways I'd love to stay and chat, but gotta get Cas home in good time today…he rambled on about wrapping presents after school or somethin' and not wanting to be late." Dean mumbled, before he could leave Jo stood alone; she grabbed the back of his jacket and forcefully dragged him backwards, hitting the lockers.

"Ow, what the hell Jo!" Dean cried out, struggling out of her grip and glaring in her direction.

"Ok firstly…that's more like the Dean Winchester facial expression I'm used to and secondly, since when did you jump when Cas said how high?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

Truth be told, Jo was a good friend and Dean could tell her most things in confidence. He had mulled over telling her about Cas a few times in these past couple of months but thought better of it, he promised Cas this was their little secret.

"Ok that is so NOT how it is with me and Cas. I just get on with him really well and I'd do anything for the kid ya know?" Dean muttered, leaning back against his locker.

"Do anything for him? Ok what have you done with Dean? I love that you are finally in a good place and accepting your stepmom and your step brother, but it's a huge dramatic turnaround from originally not even wanting an extended family…now you'd do anything for him?" Jo pushed, prodding Dean in the arm.

In that moment he thought about telling Jo everything, just to get her off his back and stop playing 20 questions.

"I dunno, things change…look if I tell you something, do you swear not to tell a soul?"

Jo immediately nodded out of curiosity and edged closer to Dean.

"Me and Cas, it's complicated…he's…I mean we are…"

"Come on Dean, spit it out"

Dean glanced back over to Cas, smiling with affection before snapping back to reality. He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"…we are just really close, that's all. He's like the best friend I've ever had." Dean finished, not being able to go through with the truth.

His final statement ended with a punch to the arm and a glare from Jo.

"Stop freakin' hitting me! You're still my best friend too dumbass." Dean scolded, rubbing his arm.

Jo broke into a smile and shrugged in a 'Jo like' apology.

"So…best friend's huh? You guys really that close?"

"Well I still don't think of Cas like a brother, Sam does…but me not so much."

Jo frowned in confusion.

"That doesn't bother you?"

Dean shook his head, eyes still glued to Cas.

"No, I can't explain it but I'm glad I don't think of him that way. I know that sounds odd but I prefer the relationship we have, I feel like it's a lot stronger and I'm actually a lot closer to Cas than Sam is anyways." Dean finished, trying his best to explain but eventually shrugging it off.

"I dunno, like I said…complicated. But we're in a good place." He said, smiling at Jo.

She nodded her head in approval and Dean was thankful she asked no further questions, simply accepting his answer.

Castiel strolled over and said his 'hello' to Jo, before turning to Dean with a smile.

"Ready?"

"You bet, Christmas break at last…let's get the hell out of this damn school. I'll text you tomorrow Jo, later."

Dean walked out with Cas, Jo giving them a departing salute.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Christmas morning was finally here.

Dean woke up slowly to the feeling of his bed dipping behind him, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and he felt a kiss placed on the back of his neck.

"Dean Wake up…it's Christmas" Cas whispered excitedly into his step brother's ear.

He grinned, turning around in Cas' arms and placing a kiss on his lips.

"Hmmm so it is and what a way to wake up on Christmas morning" Dean whispered back, trying to keep extra quiet knowing Sam will already be up and ready to attack his presents.

"Merry Christmas Dean" Cas responded, giving his step brother a kiss on the end of his nose.

"Merry Christmas Cas"

Cas grinned and manoeuvred himself out of Dean's grasp, standing up practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Come on let's go, presents to open"

Dean laughed at Cas' enthusiasm and pulled himself out of bed, following an eager Castiel down the stairs.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Christmas day was in full swing, the family had just finished opening their presents from one another and Sophie immediately set to work preparing Christmas dinner.

"Go on boys, get upstairs and get ready. Bobby will be round soon for dinner." John said, clapping his hands at Sam, Dean and Castiel.

The three of them bolted upstairs, Sam disappearing into the bathroom first and Dean took the opportunity to drag Cas into his room.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, Dean pushed Cas against it and crashed their lips together.

He pulled back with a smirk on his face and let his eyes roam over Cas.

"I have a little extra gift for you."

Cas' eyes went wide and he shook his head.

"But we already exchanged gifts, you got me more?"

"Yes and trust me, you'll love it" Dean whispered, reaching behind Cas and locking the door.

Castiel finally clicked on and raised an eyebrow at his step brother.

"Oh…"

Dean winked at him, slowly dropping to his knees in front of Cas and immediately pulled his sweat pants and underwear down in one go, getting a firm hold of Cas' cock and taking it into his mouth.

"OH" Cas moaned loudly, his head banging against the door.

Dean pulled off Cas, giving his fast hardening cock a few good strokes and pressing a finger against his own lips.

"Shhh baby, don't wanna alert the whole house."

Cas nodded quickly, eyes rolling back in his head and lightly pushing the back of Dean's head, encouraging him to continue. Dean chuckled and moved forward again, taking his step brother's now hard cock into his mouth.

If he was being totally honest, Dean had no clue what the hell he was doing. They had never gone this far before, but Dean was curious and he had watched a LOT of porn to figure out what may feel good for Cas. Not that porn was the best form of education but he guessed it was his best bet.

He pressed his tongue flat against the head of Cas' cock, wincing slightly at the bitter taste but continuing his exploration regardless. Dean gripped the base and wrapped his lips around Cas, working down his erection seeing how far he could push himself before gagging.

"Oh holy fuck Dean" Cas whispered, moaning quietly, biting into his own hand to prevent him from screaming.

Dean glanced up with Cas' cock still in his mouth, to see his step brother completely fucked out, blue eye's darted down and met with Dean's, lust sparkling in Cas' eyes.

"Please Dean" Cas begged, his hips pushing out at their own accord and almost causing Dean to gag.

He continued to suck Cas' cock, his head now bobbing up and down, finding the perfect rhythm and speed, his hand working the base that his mouth couldn't reach. Cas was covering his own mouth with his hands, his eyes tightly shut and trying his hardest to be quiet, although Dean could still hear the muffled screams and it only spurred him on.

Dean increased his speed, tongue running along the underside of Cas' cock every time his head bobbed up and down.

"Fuck Dean, I'm gonna…" Cas whispered out, panting heavily.

Dean hummed around Cas' cock and he finally lost it.

Castiel's orgasm flooded through his system, making every inch of his skin tingle with a pleasant buzz and his vision almost blacking out from the force of it.

Dean wasn't quick enough to move, so swallowed down most of what Cas give out and the rest sliding down his chin obscenely. Yet Dean couldn't find it in himself to care, the whole experience was new and wonderful, right down to the dirty details. He could feel his own cock swelling at the thought of Cas doing this to him one day, but knowing they had to get ready for the rest of Christmas day, meant Dean had to calm himself down…they just didn't have time.

Cas slumped down to his own knees, wiping his come off Dean's face apologetically and kissing his step brother deeply. It should feel all kinds of wrong tasting himself in Dean's mouth, but the truth is both brother's got a buzz from it and moaned into each other's mouths.

"Thank you" Cas muttered with a smile against Dean's lips.

Dean laughed out right and carded his hand through Cas' hair, smiling right back at him.

"Happy Christmas."

"Indeed…a very HAPPY Christmas to me…I could always return the favour?" Cas said, smirking wickedly, his confidence suddenly soaring off the back of his adrenaline rush.

"Shit, I will hold you to that." Dean mumbled, feeling his heart jumping and stomach flipping with excitement at the sheer thought.

Cas chuckled and managed to stand up on shaky legs.

"I better go shower."

Dean stood up and gave Cas a peck on the cheek.

"Wish I could join you but…"

"Yeah" Cas mumbled, smiling almost sadly before returning the kiss on the cheek and making sure he was fairly decent and heading out towards the bathroom.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Later that night, the whole family was sitting around the coffee table in the living room and playing board games.

Sam, Cas and Dean happily sat on the floor, laughing at the 3 fairly drunk adults. Bobby was 'monitoring' the game and occasionally chipped in with a mumble of 'idjits' when somebody got a question wrong.

"This is just so nice, our own little family…sitting around…playing games…spending Christmas together." Sophie drawled out happily, a big grin on her face and slurring her words slightly.

"Awww are you getting sentimental sweetheart?" John asked with a laugh, pulling out a piece of mistletoe and holding it above their heads, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Oh for crying out loud" Bobby muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes.

Sophie pulled back and took the mistletoe from John, getting up clumsily and planting herself next to Bobby.

"Come on now, don't be a bah humbug Bobby…one for you too" She said, holding the mistletoe over them and giving Bobby a peck on the cheek.

Sam was doubled over laughing as Bobby blushed slightly and continued to roll his eyes.

"Don't think you're getting away with it too mister" Sophie said, pointing a finger at Sam.

John grabbed the mistletoe from Sophie and proceeded to attack his youngest son, dragging him onto the couch wrestling and tickling him.

"Dad…Dad…stop it…I can't breathe" Sam screeched, laughing with tears streaming down his eyes.

"Nobody escapes the dreaded mistletoe arghhhh" John yelled, laughing and holding it above Sam, planting a sloppy, embarrassing kiss on his son's cheek.

"Ewwwww Dad" Sam scolded, wiping his face and causing an eruption of laughter from Dean and Cas.

Castiel chuckled some more, picking up his empty glass and stood up, making his way out of the living room into the kitchen. Dean's eyes followed him, before darting back to see everyone else still pre-occupied and quickly swiped the mistletoe from under their noses and raced out of the room.

Dean caught Cas in the hallway coming out of the kitchen, grinning widely and approaching a suspicious looking Castiel.

"What do you have behind your back?" Cas asked with a raised eyebrow, yelping when Dean practically threw him against the wall and crowded his personal space.

"Hmm I wonder" Dean said with a smirk, pulling out the mistletoe and gasping in mock surprise.

"What is this? Mistletoe! How the hell did that get there? Guess we better put this to some use" Dean continued, wiggling his eyebrows and holding the mistletoe above their heads.

Cas' hand immediately shot out to land against Dean's chest and stop him from coming closer.

"Dean our parents and brother are right there…we can't." Cas protested quietly.

"Didn't hear you complaining before when I had your cock in my mouth..." Dean said with a smirk.

"Dean!"

"…relax, just one little kiss. It is Christmas after all."

Cas sighed and glanced to the living room, then nodded with a smile.

Dean held the mistletoe high and leant in kissing Castiel sweetly, almost lovingly. Not the kind of kiss Cas had been expecting and he gasped, pulling Dean close and causing him to drop the mistletoe.

They broke apart with a smile and Dean pushed a hand through Cas' hair, before wrapping his arms around him and pulling them into a hug.

"Do you have any idea how much I adore you?" Dean mumbled into Cas' shoulder.

"Probably as much as I adore you" Cas replied with a smile, hugging his step brother more tightly.

"You big sap." Dean said with a laugh, not breaking from their hug.

"Hey you started it."

Cas grinned, burying his head into Dean's neck and breathing in his scent.

"Woahhhh"

They quickly pulled apart, to see an unsteady looking John now swaying in the hallway.

"Since when did my son become so damn affectionate?" John said with a laugh, stumbling towards the two boys.

"I guess I have my moments, it is Christmas after all." Dean muttered with an embarrassed smile.

"In that case, bring it in boys" John cried out happily, dragging Dean and Cas into a big bear hug, crushing them affectionately.

"Jeez Dad, I can't breathe" Dean wheezed, awkwardly wrapping his free arm around John.

John chuckled loudly, kissing the top of Dean's head. Cas hugged John back, taking the opportunity to once again wrap his free arm around Dean and they shared a smile.

"You know…"

John started, pulling out of the hug and gripping both the boys' shoulders tightly.

"…I'm so glad you two get along so well. When we first announced our engagement, I thought you two would kill each other…but you didn't and now…you're here…you're hugging like brother's and it's Christmas and we're finally one big, happy family." John slurred his words, but with a warm smile plastered on his face.

Dean and Cas shared a quick awkward glance to each other before Dean spoke.

"Yeah, us too Dad."

"And Castiel…" John cried, turning to face Cas and gripping both of his shoulders tight, staring right into his big blue eyes.

"…You my boy are a little angel. You are such a good influence on Dean here, his grades have improved, he helps more around the house, I've never seen him smile so much…it's a freakin miracle! You two make a good team and you know what Cas?"

Castiel blushed and ducked his head, seeing Dean grinning from the corner of his eye.

John put his fingers under Cas' chin and raised his head to meet with his eyes again.

"I am so proud to call you my son."

He pulled Cas into another, softer and more genuine hug.

Castiel's eyes went wide and he felt tears stinging the back of them, a mixture of happiness, sadness and guilt swelling inside of him that made him feel physically ill.

"Thank you." Cas muttered quietly, his smile dropping and tears now rolling down his face.

Cas' eyes shot up and met with Dean's, both of them looked distraught, full of guilt. Dean could feel the guilt and sadness eating away at him after his father's declaration.

They both shared a look and sighed heavily, knowing that this was a huge turning point and things were only going to get harder from here on out.


	9. Chapter 9

Castiel was wide awake and staring at the alarm clock on Dean's bedside table, he had exactly one hour before his early morning alarm was due to go off and he had to return to his own bed.

Dean shifted in his sleep and pressed against Cas' back, throwing an arm over his body. Cas gasped suddenly, feeling Dean's erection push against his ass and he quickly turned over to face his step brother.

He noticed Dean was still sound asleep, but clearly having a very good dream and Cas watched as Dean's mouth twitched into little smiles. The small moans that escaped his step brother's mouth, sent pleasurable tingles through Cas' body.

"Mmm yes Cas" Dean mumbled in his sleep, shifting again.

Castiel edged closer to Dean, watching as he naturally rolled onto his back and revealed a very obvious tent under the bed covers.

He felt a surge of confidence and his mind drifted back to the promise that he made to Dean a few days ago. Cas smirked, glancing back at the clock again and feeling the excitement bubbling inside when he realised they still had quite a bit of time before the alarm.

Cas ran his hand lightly over Dean's covered torso, feeling the muscles twitch beneath his fingers and came to a stop above the waistband of Dean's shorts, willing him to wake up.

"Dean?" Cas whispered quietly into his ear.

He shifted again, but eyes staying firmly shut and a light snore escaping his mouth. Cas sighed and nervously, glanced down to where his hand hovered deciding to continue until Dean woke up.

Cas shuffled under the bed covers until he rested between Dean's legs, he shakily pulled down Dean's shorts and watched as his erection bounced free in front of Cas' face.

He wrapped a hand cautiously around the base of Dean's cock, remembering how his step brother had done this for him and what made him feel good.

Slowly Cas started to stroke Dean's cock, watching the pre-cum leak from the head and heard Dean moan quietly above him. Cas' eyes went wide and he pushed the bed covers off him, completely off the bed.

But Dean was still asleep, his mind clearly returning to previous dreams.

Castiel continued his quest, gripping Dean at the base and carefully darting his tongue out to lick the head of Dean's cock tentatively.

"Mmmmm" Dean moaned loudly in his sleep, his hips subconsciously pushing up.

Cas licked his lips, tasting everything that was completely Dean and truth be told, it wasn't as bad as he suspected, although it wasn't exactly what he would call a nice taste either. But it didn't stop him.

He licked the head of Dean's cock again, pressing his tongue flat against the slit there and causing his step brother to buck his hips again. Cas smirked and finally wrapped his lips around the tip, moaning dirtily at the feeling of Dean heavy in his mouth.

Suddenly Dean moaned loudly, his eyes snapping open and darting down to the cause of his pleasure. Blue, sparkling eyes looked up and met with Dean's shocked green orbs. Cas pulled off Dean and smirked.

"Good Morning Dean."

Dean was panting heavily, his mouth gaping in a mix of shock and pleasure.

"Hell yeah it is, God Cas don't stop" Dean stuttered, bringing a hand up to push through Cas' hair in encouragement.

"As you wish" Cas mumbled with a smile, before taking Dean back into his mouth.

Dean's eyes rolled back in his head, moaning in pleasure at the hot, wet mouth surrounding him and threw his head back against the pillow.

Cas pushed himself, realising he could take most of Dean's cock into his mouth, the tip hitting the back of his throat and the shudder that he felt vibrate through Dean shot straight to his own cock.

"Holy fuckkk" Dean cried out, immediately slapping a hand over his own mouth to shut himself up.

He found a steady pace, bobbing his head up and down on Dean's cock, taking him deep every time. Dean's hips instinctively pushed up meeting with Cas' mouth, although he tried his best to be gentle and not to push too hard.

Cas found he couldn't get enough. It turned him on to hear his step brother coming undone beneath him and Cas moaned around Dean's cock, reaching down to push his own hand into his shorts and gripping his own cock.

"Oh God Cas, I'm gonna come" Dean moaned.

His eyes darted down to see a blissed out Cas, sucking harshly on Dean, his own eyes rolling back into his head as he jerked himself off and that was enough to send Dean over the edge.

Dean grabbed a pillow and covered his face, coming harder than ever with a muffled scream of Cas' name.

Cas was insistent, not moving for a moment and taking every last drop of Dean, milking him through his orgasm.

He finally let a sensitive Dean go and stroked himself faster, nearing his end. Dean watched Cas with hungry eyes and moved to wrap his own hand over Cas', it was enough to send Cas crashing into his own orgasm.

Dean pulled a boneless Castiel up the bed to lie next to him and wrapped his arms around his shaking step brother. He placed a kiss on the top of Cas' head and smiled in content.

"That's one way to wake up in the morning." Dean said with a chuckle.

Cas looked up and lazily smiled at Dean, leaning up to place a quick kiss on his lips.

"Well I made you a promise, I intended to follow through."

"And?"

"It was amazing." Cas mumbled, sucking and licking at Dean's neck.

"No arguments there, you're incredible" Dean hummed, laughing lightly.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The next morning the family sat around the breakfast table and neither Dean nor Castiel could wipe the grins off their faces.

"What are you two smiling about?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing" They answered in unison, causing Sophie to chuckle.

Sam sat staring sleepily at his untouched cereal.

"You ok over there Sammy?" Dean asked with amusement in his voice.

"Tired, SOMEONE woke me up at 5:30am" Sam said, aiming his glare in Dean's direction.

Sam got up, declaring he was going back to bed and his parent's watched him leave in confusion.

Cas blushed, ducking his head and picking at his toast, Dean decided to follow Sam to check exactly what it was he had heard in the early hours of the morning.

He caught up with Sam before he went upstairs and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"What was all that about?"

Sam glared at Dean and yawned loudly.

"Like you don't know, if you want to have your…ummm 'alone time' at least pick a more sociable hour to do it or you know…be quieter." Sam grumbled embarrassingly, before darting up the stairs.

Dean pressed his lips together trying to contain his laughter as he watched Sam go and felt Cas join him.

"Did he hear us?" Cas asked with concern.

"He heard me, told me to basically keep it down when I felt like jerking off at 5:30am" Dean said chuckling.

Cas rolled his eyes and pushed Dean playfully, before heading upstairs to get ready.

"What? I thought it was pretty funny." Dean called up after Cas and followed him upstairs laughing the entire way.


	10. Chapter 10

"Two tickets to the New Year's eve ball." John declared, happily placing the tickets in front of a smiling Sophie.

"Oh I cannot wait; it's going to be amazing. You have to wear your best suit John!"

He rolled his eyes mockingly before nodding and placing a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"Are you sure you boys are Ok with this? I feel terrible leaving you alone on New Year's Eve." Sophie said to Dean, Cas and Sam with concern in her voice.

"Yeah of course, we will be fine. You go have fun." Dean said with a grin.

Cas nodded in agreement with a matching smile.

Dean got up from the table and put his plate in the sink, he turned around to see his Dad had followed.

"Look Dean, are you sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes Dad we will be fine, chill."

John nodded and sighed, clapping Dean on the back.

"We can go to the store before it closes today, get some drink and food in for you and Cas."

Dean raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"What about Sammy?"

"Sam is going to Adam's for New Year, I thought you knew?" John said with confusion in his voice.

"Adam? Our cousin Adam?"

"Yes, he invited Sam for the night since they're the same age. I didn't think you and Cas would wanna go, but if you do…I'm sure I could call and…"

"NO" Dean cried out, interrupting his confused Dad.

"I mean no, it's cool. Cas and I will stay here." Dean finished with a bright smile.

John nodded and laughed in befuddlement at his sons' behaviour.

"Alright then, like I said I'll take you shopping in a bit yeah?"

"Yep absolutely" Dean said nodding happily and glancing over to Cas with a smile plastered across his face.

Cas caught his eye, tilting his head in curiosity at what has made Dean so happy. Dean motioned to the doorway with his head and excused himself, hoping Cas would get the hint and follow.

Dean raced into the living room excitedly and bounced on his feet, waiting for his step brother to join him. Cas entered the room and watched an excited Dean bound over to him.

"Dean what's gotten into you?" Cas asked confused.

He kissed Cas sloppily on the cheek and wrapped his arms around his step brother. Cas struggled for a moment, glancing back to check nobody else was around.

"Tonight…we get to spend New Year's Eve together."

"Well us and Sam, don't get too carried away Dean." Cas said with a roll of his eyes.

"NOPE…Sammy won't be here. It's just you and me, alone. Bringing in the New Year together." Dean declared happily, kissing Cas on the forehead and watching as Cas' jaw dropped slightly.

"Oh my God! Seriously? Just you and me?" Cas rambled, a smile now stretching across his lips.

"Seriously. Oh baby, it's gonna be awesome." Dean mumbled into Cas' ear, smiling widely and pulling Cas into a hug.

Cas couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he hugged Dean back.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Have fun, don't get too drunk" Dean called out, watching his Dad and Sophie get into the car with a wave.

"See you next year" Cas added with a laugh.

They waved goodbye to their parent's and Cas closed the front door, locking It securely. Dean crowded his step brother, placing kisses along his neck and wrapping his arms around him.

"God it feels good to kiss you without the fear of being caught" Dean muttered into Cas' neck.

"Mmm yes it really does." Cas hummed, turning in Dean's arms and kissing him firmly on the lips.

Dean broke away with a chuckle, placing a final kiss against Cas' forehead.

"Right, let's get this pizza in the oven, I'm starved." He declared, clapping his hands together and heading for the kitchen.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

After the boys devoured their pizza, they watched a Christmas movie together much to Dean's distaste who declared Christmas was over and Cas argued the decorations were still up, so Christmas movies were still allowed. Fair to say the argument ended up in a tickling match on the floor, which Castiel won and they ended up watching 'Miracle on 34th Street' curled up together on the couch, to which Dean didn't protest about.

When the movie ended, they spent a good half an hour simply sitting together, cuddling and kissing lovingly, openly on the couch. Cas poked fun at Dean that he was a big sap at heart and Dean found himself not being able to deny the comments when he kept snuggling closer to his step brother.

They still had a couple of hours before midnight, now sat together watching live streaming on their TV from New York City were thousands of people gathered on New Year's Eve to see the ball drop.

"It looks amazing. All the performers, the people, the atmosphere…I'd love to go one year." Cas said with a sigh, curled up against his step brother and watching the TV intently.

"Hmmm, maybe we will one day."

Cas pulled back from Dean and knitted his eyebrows together in amusement, a small smile playing on his lips.

"We?"

"Yeah, you and me together, New York wouldn't know what's hit em." Dean said with a grin.

Castiel felt his heart skip a beat and he leant forward bringing Dean into a soft kiss.

Dean kissed back, gasping when Cas deepened their kiss and snaking his tongue into Dean's mouth. Soon enough their kisses became heated and Cas crawled into Dean's lap and straddled him, placing hot, wet kisses down his step brother's neck.

Cas pressed closely to Dean, his hands snaking up underneath Dean's t-shirt and grazing over bare skin, causing Dean to hiss at the contact. He bit his lip, letting Cas' hands explore under his t-shirt and his lips place long kisses against his neck. Dean felt like he was on fire.

Lips moved upwards towards his ear, Cas took Dean's earlobe into his mouth and sucked it gently, before pulling away with a soft bite.

"I'm ready Dean." Cas whispered shakily into Dean's ear, his voice more gravelly than usual.

Dean pushed Cas backwards slightly and looked him in the eye. Lust settled deep within Cas' eyes, the pupils so blown that his eyes were practically black and not much blue left. Dean felt nerves and excitement flood through his system and he thought he knew what Cas was trying to say, but he didn't want to assume.

"Ready?" Dean asked with a shaky breath of his own.

"I want to have sex Dean." Cas said confidently, now gripping the back of Dean's neck tightly and looking into his eyes.

"Oh…are you…are you sure?" Dean stuttered, rubbing his hands up and down Cas' arms.

Castiel nodded quickly in reply. Adding a push of his hips so Dean could feel exactly how much he wanted it.

Dean gasped and grabbed Cas' hips, rubbing circles into the hipbones through Cas' clothes.

"Unless you're not ready?" Cas stopped with concern in his voice, suddenly worried that he hadn't even considered if Dean was ready for this or not.

"I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life." Dean assured quickly, dragging Cas in for a deep kiss.

Cas moaned into Dean's mouth, pushing his hips down again and winding arms around his step brother's neck when he felt Dean hook his arms under Cas' thighs and just about manage to lift them both off the couch.

He wrapped his legs tightly around Dean's waist and his step brother carried him towards the stairs, their lips never parting.

Dean pushed Cas against the banister of the stairs, feeling his legs tighten even more when Dean grinded Castiel against the railings.

"Fuck Dean, please" Cas gasped, breaking their kiss and disentangling himself from Dean, jumping down and holding out his hand.

He didn't hesitate in taking Cas' hand and allowed himself to be led upstairs towards Cas' bedroom.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Once inside the comfort of Castiel's room, Dean Lips came crashing onto his step brothers' and he felt Cas' hands tugging at his t-shirt. Finally getting the hint, Dean pulled back and allowed Castiel to peel his t-shirt off over his head.

Cas took a step back to appreciate Dean, his eyes glazing over Dean's half naked state and he was back in his personal space in no time, licking and kissing Dean's chest, sucking so hard in places that Dean was convinced he would be marked tomorrow.

When Cas took one of Dean's nipples into his mouth and sucked harshly, Dean tugged on Cas' hair in encouragement.

"Damn Cas" He moaned, feeling no need to be quiet for once.

He pulled back and smiled at Dean, running his hands down his step brother's muscled back.

Dean shivered at the touch and surged forward, practically ripping Cas' shirt from his body and discarding it on the floor. He let his eyes roam appreciatively over Cas, noting in the back of his mind that this was the first chance they have had to truly look at each other in this way before and it excited Dean more than anything. Cas was slimmer Dean, but he was muscled in all the right places and maturing perfectly for a 16 year old boy.

He brushed his hands over Cas' torso, making sure to rub his thumbs over his step brothers' nipples and enjoying the hiss of pleasure that left Cas' mouth.

Cas' hands moved to Dean's jeans and started to undo them at a lightening pace, pushing them down along with his underwear and watching as Dean kicked them off completely across the room. Dean followed suit and made quick work of getting Castiel naked too.

Once they were both naked, both boys stopped and simply stared. The room was silent apart from the heavy breathing coming from both Dean and Cas.

Dean made the first move, pulling Cas in for another kiss and letting his hands roam Cas' naked form, relishing the skin to skin contact. Castiel gasped, running his hands down Dean's bare back and gripping Dean's firm, very naked ass tightly. Cas smiled into the kiss and pulled Dean's hips towards his own and they both broke the kiss, feeling their erections rub together with absolutely no barrier.

The pleasurable sensation raced through both of them and wide eyes met with each other, continuing their naked grinding with moans heavy on their lips. Cas made a move, pushing Dean backwards towards the bed and when his legs hit the mattress, Cas pushed him to lie down and crawled on top, letting their bodies press fully together.

"Oh my God" Dean groaned loudly, positioning himself beneath Cas so their cocks lined up perfectly and rubbed together deliciously.

"Oh Dean…I need you, please" Cas moaned, frantically sliding his body against Dean's.

Dean felt himself panic, neither of them having done anything like this before and he looked up at Cas, cradling his face looking deeply into his eyes.

"Baby I need you too, but I've never done this before…"

"Me neither Dean, but we will be fine"

"I know, it's just we don't have the right…the right ummm" Dean stumbled for his words, feeling Cas climb off him and off the bed.

Castiel routed through his bedside table and placed two objects on the bed, causing Dean's eyes to go wide and Cas to duck his head, blushing slightly.

Dean gulped looking down at the condoms and lube.

"You sly dog…have you been planning this?" Dean asked, breaking into a grin.

Cas shrugged shyly and sat back on the bed next to Dean.

"I may have bought them today in the hope we would make the most of tonight" Cas said, biting his lip.

Dean smiled brightly and pulled Cas into another kiss, moving them both so Cas was underneath him on the bed.

"Dean no offence but do you know what the hell you're doing?" Cas laughed nervously.

"Hey you're not the only one who has done their research" Dean said with a glare, reaching to grab the bottle of lube from the bed.

Cas watched with intensity as Dean poured a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. Instinctively Cas spread his legs and Dean let out a shaky breath at the sight, moving his hand downwards and blindly reaching lower until his fingertips brushed over Cas' entrance.

His breath hitched and Dean placed a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"I'll go slow ok? If you need to me stop, tell me."

Cas nodded and hissed as he felt Dean's wet fingers circle his hole, a shiver wracking his entire body. Dean pushed one lubed up finger inside of Cas' tight hole, his eyes widening at just how tight it was.

"Fuck Cas, you're so damn tight." Dean declared loudly, pushing his finger slowly inside and feeling Castiel resist slightly and preventing him from going any further.

Castiel's eyes were wide, his lip quivering slightly.

"You Ok?" Dean asked with concern.

"Yes, it just feels weird." Cas said with a shaky breath, finally relaxing around Dean's finger and allowing him to push further in.

Dean slowly started pushing his finger in and out, watching Cas' face twist slightly and squeeze his eyes tightly shut.

"More Dean" Cas mumbled out and Dean nodded, adding another finger and feeling the resistance again.

Cas bit his lip in pain and his body tried to reject Dean on instinct. Dean's mind was whirling, imagining how amazing it would feel inside of Cas but wondering if he would actually fit, especially given how tight he was and most of all, he didn't want to hurt Cas.

His step brother sobbed slightly, his body relaxing and letting Dean's fingers slide deeper inside.

"Shhh its ok gorgeous, it will pass I'm sure" Dean hummed against Cas' ear, placing a sweet kiss against Cas' temple.

"I'm ok, just keep going" Cas prompted, his voice cracking slightly.

Dean moved both fingers in and out of Castiel, stretching him out as best he could and crooking his fingers up experimentally.

"DEAN" Cas cried out loudly, his head hitting the pillow and breathing heavily.

"Did I hurt you? Oh God Cas I'm sorry, you ok?" Dean asked in a panic, fearing he had hurt his step brother.

Cas shook his head wildly and lust filled eyes met with Dean's.

"No it didn't hurt…do it again, please Dean." Cas begged, grabbing at Dean's shoulders.

He obeyed and crooked his fingers up on the same angle, watching in fascination as Cas started to writhe wildly beneath him and arching off the bed.

"Oh God Dean, that feels amazing…I need more please, please, please."

Dean figured he was finally doing something right and added another finger, a lot easier to slip inside of a more relaxed Castiel. He smiled as he stretched and pumped his fingers insistently in and out of his step brother, relishing in the noises that escaped Cas' mouth every time he hit that spot inside of him.

"God Cas, you're killing me here…I can't wait any longer." Dean said, panting heavily and his cock rock hard, begging for attention.

"Yes please Dean; I want you inside of me." Castiel begged some more, whimpering slightly when Dean's fingers left his body.

He watched impatiently as Dean rolled a condom onto himself and took another generous amount of lube into his palm, hissing as he stroked his sensitive cock.

Dean positioned himself back over Cas and brushed a hand through his hair, placing a brief kiss on his lips.

Cas gasped as he felt the head of Dean's cock breach his hole and he gritted his teeth at the pain, automatically tensing up again.

"It hurts Dean" Cas whined, causing Dean to stop when he was only half way inside of Castiel.

Dean tried to compose himself feeling Cas' tightness constrict around his cock and almost sending him over the edge in the first few seconds. He stopped to let Cas adjust and to pull himself together.

"Ok baby, its ok…tell me when you're ready for more." Dean tried to comfort Cas, placing kisses all over his face and finally on his lips.

He felt Cas relax when they kissed and heard Cas mumble 'more' against his lips.

Dean continued to push inside of Cas until he was all the way inside, completely filling his step brother and watching as Castiel finally relaxed, letting out a long breath of relief.

"Jesus Cas…you feel amazing." Dean purred, placing kisses along Cas' neck.

"Move Dean, please" Cas moaned, pushing his hips upwards slightly and pulling Dean down by his ass.

"Shit, ok" Dean hissed in pleasure, pulling out of Castiel slowly and trying his best not to slam back in.

Dean moved slowly in and out of Castiel, watching his face twist in pain at times but still encouraging Dean to continue. He pulled Cas' leg up slightly and pushed in on a different angle, Cas' eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and a long, drawn out moan fell from his lips.

"Oh God Dean yes yes yes, right there." Cas moaned, digging blunt fingernails into Dean's shoulders.

He smirked in triumph, picking up his speed and trying to find some sort of rhythm to his thrusts.

"Harder, faster, God Deeeeeeeeean" Cas yelled loudly, his hips meeting with Dean's thrusts.

Dean sped up, being sure to hit Cas' sweet spot on every other thrust, loving the sounds that erupted from his step brother. He slammed into Castiel mercilessly, the entire bed now shaking under the force and headboard banging against the wall.

"Holy fuck Cas, fuck fuck fuck" Dean cried out, his forehead pressed against Castiel's.

They stared deeply into each other's eyes, moaning and panting against each other.

"Oh Dean, I'm so close" Cas moaned, reaching down to grip his own cock.

Dean watched as Castiel started jerking himself off hard and fast, matching Dean's thrusts. The image sent Dean spiralling and he came harder than ever before, riding out his orgasm with slowing thrusts.

Cas cried out, his own orgasm racing through him and his vision going white from pleasure, his come spilling over his own hand and stomach.

Both boys panted heavily, coming down from their high as Dean pulled out of Castiel and peeled off the condom, tossing it in the trash can.

He jumped out of the bed, grabbing the first piece of material he could find and cleaned Cas' hand and stomach, before tossing the material, climbing back into bed beside Cas.

Dean pulled Castiel close, wrapping his arms tightly around his step brother and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Wow." Cas murmured with a tired smile.

"Wow doesn't begin to cover it." Dean said with a smile in return.

Castiel glanced at the clock that now read 11:59pm and he reached for the remote to the TV, turning on the New Year countdown.

"Nearly midnight" Cas mumbled, cuddling closer to Dean with a grin.

"What a way to bring in the New Year huh?" Dean said with a short laugh, tilting Cas' chin up so their eyes met.

Cas leaned up to kiss Dean once again, hearing the countdown enter into the 20 second mark. Dean kissed him deeply, their tongues working together gently and Cas pulled back with a bright smile.

Dean cupped Cas' face, rubbing a thumb over his cheekbone and staring into the sparkling blue eyes belonging to his step brother, as the announcer on TV started the countdown.

10

9

8

"Cas, I think…"

7

6

"…I think I'm in love with you."

5

4

3

Cas' eyes went wide and he broke into the brightest smile Dean had ever seen, practically launching himself at his step brother as the clock counted down.

2

1

Happy New Year!

Cas wrapped himself around Dean, kissing every bit of skin he could reach and smiling widely.

"I love you too Dean, God I love you so so much" Cas sobbed between kisses, happy tears rolling down his face.

Dean bit his lip, not being able to contain his smile and pulled Cas into a hug, his insides fluttering happily.

"Happy New Year baby, love you" Dean muttered against Cas' neck, feeling Cas' grip tighten when he declared his love again.

"Happy New Year Dean" Cas said, pulling back with a smile before placing a long, loving kiss on Dean's lips.

They cuddled closely together in bed, Dean running a hand through Cas' hair and continuingly kissing the top of his head.

They fell into a blissful sleep to the sound of 'Auld Lang Syne' ringing out loudly from the TV set.


	11. Chapter 11

"Happy New Year Winchester!" Jo greeted, punching Dean lightly on his arm.

Dean continued to rustle through his locker, not bothering to look at Jo and muttered quietly under his breath.

"Mmm yeah Happy New Year"

Jo rolled her eyes and leant back against the lockers.

"Jeez someone woke up on the wrong side of the year this morning"

"Yeah well…" Dean mumbled, slamming his locker shut and leaning against it, next to Jo.

"…let's just say I had the BEST break ever and now back to this crappy place."

Jo raised an eyebrow and turned to face Dean with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"Ohhhh care to elaborate, did you meet a girl?"

Dean chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope I don't care to because it's none of your business and nope, no interesting girls around these parts." Dean finished with a smirk, earning an elbow to the gut from his female friend.

"HEY! I resent that."

"Come on you're like an annoying little cousin to me…you don't count." Dean said, fixing Jo with a knowing look.

Her glare quickly faded into a look of agreement and she shrugged, her lips turning up into a smirk and facing towards the crowd of pupils now rushing through the hallways.

Dean followed her eyesight and watched the students bustling to get to class as the bell sounded.

It's true his Christmas and New Year break had been the best few weeks of his life so far. He had never been happier, returning to school sucked but truth be told he didn't mind so much as school meant he and Cas spent a little more time together away from the family household.

Cas was a year below Dean, but the Winchester got to drive with Cas to and from school, also seeing each other between classes and at lunch. First day back had already resulted in an early morning make out session, when Dean had found Cas and discreetly pulled him into the nearest Janitors closet, fair to say that moment was the best part of Dean's morning so far and it made the smile impossible to wipe from his face.

"EARTH TO DEAN!"

Fingers clicked abruptly in front of his face, making him jump from his heavenly daydream and he turned to glare at Jo for interrupting.

"Hey!"

"Daydreaming about your mysterious girlfriend" Jo sang tauntingly, shoving Dean hard.

"I already told you I don't have a girlfriend!" Dean scolded, while Jo simply wiggled her eyebrows.

Dean was about to scold some more until he caught sight of Cas over Jo's shoulder and the smile returned at lightning speed.

Cas smirked as he caught Dean's eye and starting heading towards his step brother, accidently bumping into someone along the way.

"HEY watch where you're going freak" Michael cried out, holding his arms out and giving a now wide eyed Castiel a disgusted look.

Dean's smile immediately dropped and a wave of anger surged through his body as he pushed past Jo, heading towards the school bully and his step brother.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you…" Cas muttered, wide blue eyes darting to Dean who was now by his side.

"Hey, leave him alone jackass." Dean hissed, putting a protective hand on Cas' shoulder.

Michael sneered at Dean, his lips turning up into a cruel smile.

"Maybe your freak of a brother needs to watch his step"

Cas' eyes landed on Dean and watched as he physically stiffened, a red mist clouding him as he took a step towards Michael.

"Call him a freak again and my fist is gonna meet your nose" Dean grit his teeth together, practically snarling at Michael, who actually took a step back and threw a disbelieving glare at Dean.

Castiel launched forward and grabbed Dean's arm, pulling gently.

"Dean leave it, he's not worth getting into trouble for" Cas pleaded, thankful that Jo had now joined in and helping to encourage Dean to back up.

"Nobody threatens my family and gets away with it." Dean growled.

"Dean please" Cas asked, more firmly and tugging his step brother backwards with force, until he finally turned to look at Cas.

He noted the concern in Cas' eyes and nodded slowly, turning his head to give Michael one final glare.

"Get out of here Michael, nobody wants any trouble." Jo stated, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"Whatever, whole family is freakin' weird." Michael mumbled, motioning for his minions to follow and Jo was just thankful Dean didn't hear that last part as she turned towards the brothers.

Dean rubbed a hand up and down Cas' arm, now looking decidedly calmer.

"You Ok?"

"I'm fine Dean, that guy just has some issues that clearly only a professional can work through." Cas said with a chuckle and backing up slightly, letting Dean's hand drop when he seen Jo's frown of clear confusion at the close contact.

Dean nodded in agreement and let out a small humourless laugh.

"You don't say, the guys a complete tool. Thanks for making me back off; otherwise I'd have been following him straight into anger management…although my reasons would have been justified at least."

"No need for violence under any circumstance Dean. Like I said he's not worth it." Cas finished with a small smile and earned a dramatic eye roll from his step brother.

"Cas is right, now come on we gotta get to class hero." Jo said insistently, prodding Dean on the arm until he got the hint.

"Alright I'm comin' jeeez." Dean snapped, slapping Jo's hand away and watched as she started walking off down the hallway.

"I'll see you later Dean…no getting into any fights before the end of the day!" Cas said, pointing a warning finger at Dean.

"Moi? Not at all…see you later" Dean smirked, throwing Castiel a subtle wink before dashing off after Jo.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

As they took their seats at the back of English class, Jo leant over to Dean with a smile on her face.

"That was super cute by the way."

"What was?" Dean frowned in confusion.

"You and Cas, given you said he doesn't feel like your brother, you certainly played the protective big brother card very well back there. It was sweet; you guys must have grown closer over the holidays." She said with a genuine smile, sitting back in her seat.

"Yeah really close actually." Dean mumbled, a mischievous smirk trying to fight its way to the surface.

"Alright you horrible lot calm the hell down and turn to page 42 of ya books." Mr Crowley boomed as he walked into the classroom.

The class groaned and Dean rolled his eyes, lazily flipping open his copy of Macbeth.

"Since Mr Winchester looks so enthused about continuing with Shakespeare, he can start us off reading. Ready when you are Dean…" Mr Crowley smirked, flopping haphazardly onto his teachers chair and resting his heavy boots on the desk.

Dean rolled his eyes once more for effect and started to read, it was going to be a long afternoon.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

That night Dean and Cas were studying in Dean's bedroom.

Castiel had made a promise to John and to his step brother that he would help get Dean's grades up in order to help him on his way to graduation this coming summer. Needless to say Dean was a tough student and wasn't currently helping the situation by sucking on Cas' neck.

"Dean, concentrate and answer the question." Cas scolded, reluctantly pushing at Dean's shoulders to get him to back off.

"Hard to concentrate when you're here…" Dean muttered with a smirk.

"I'm here to help you study." Cas said, his voice shaking slightly when Dean's hand brushed up the inside of his jean clad thigh.

"You're distracting."

"How am I distracting?"

Dean stopped and thought about it for a moment, with a pout on his lips.

"Just being…you and YOU are very distracting…like a sexy nerd."

Cas snorted and pushed Dean's hand away from his leg, forcing the textbook he was holding into Dean's now free hand.

"Gee thanks, I'll try and take that as a compliment."

Dean chuckled and reluctantly opened the textbook, scanning the questions but his mind wandering elsewhere and back to the day's events, closing the textbook back up he looked up to his step brother thoughtfully.

"Hey Cas…"

"What?" Cas mumbled, flipping through the answer booklet.

"What happened today with Michael…it doesn't happen often, does it?" Dean enquired, a ball of concern knotting in his stomach.

Cas' head immediately whipped up and he let out a small sigh, smiling at Dean.

"No, it doesn't…very very rare in fact. Today was just one of those days, if you think I'm a pushover then you're wrong Winchester." He said with a laugh.

Dean let out a half-hearted laugh in response, but his brow still furrowed with concern.

"So you're not getting bullied? I can't be around you all the time in school…but I figured you would tell me something like that…you would tell me, right?"

Cas noticed the extreme spark of concern in his step-brothers' voice and rested a re-assuring hand over Dean's, shaking his head.

"God no, definitely not…I swear I'm not being bullied, I actually love school. Your concern is very sweet but not needed." Cas said firmly, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Dean's cheek.

His heart fluttered at how much Dean cared about him and a smile graced his features.

"Good, I'm glad." Dean said, finally smiling in return and placing a chaste kiss on Cas' lips, muttering a small 'love you' against his lips before pulling back.

Cas grinned widely and looked down to the answer booklet, an idea springing to mind to get them back on task.

"How about this…for every question you get right, you get a kiss."

Dean placed a hand in mock disgust over his heart and his mouth dropped open.

"Why Mr Novak, are you trying to seduce me!?" He gasped loudly.

"Not at all Mr Winchester, just a simple learning technique." Cas replied, raising his eyebrow.

Dean laughed and nodded slowly in understanding.

"Ahhh good old bribery."

"Well?"

He grinned widely, opening his textbook again to the previous page and sat crossed legged, waiting to study like a good little student.

"You got yourself a deal sir."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Dean, can we talk to you for a minute?" John said, entering the living room with Sophie.

The three brothers' sat on the sofa watching Star Wars and Dean refused to tear his attention away from the screen as John spoke, simply muttering something that sounded like 'yeah sure' in response.

"It's about your 18th Birthday" Sophie stated and this sure enough, got Dean's attention.

He bolted upright, turning off the movie and earning a whine from Sam.

"Listening."

Castiel chuckled, seeing Dean look so excited and now sitting up straight like the perfect son, his hands folded neatly in his lap and listening intently.

"Well we have been talking and since you have been the model son these past couple of months, grades improving, no underage drinking or rolling in at ridiculous hours of the morning…"

"Ok John, get to the point sweetheart." Sophie said with a chuckle.

"Right, sorry…we thought you deserved a party of your own for your 18th birthday. Sound good?"

"Like one of those family parties, where you invite Bobby and Mrs Harvelle and that weird Aunt we only see on Halloween…" Dean muttered, feeling Sam shudder beside him at the mention of the weird Aunt.

John rolled his eyes and glared at Dean.

"Your Aunt Missouri is NOT weird Dean…anyways I was going to say that Sophie and I will clear out for the night of your birthday on the Saturday, we will take Sam with us to stay at Bobby's and you can invite friends over."

"Oh mannnn" Sam groaned, unimpressed and flopping backwards on the sofa.

Dean's eyes widened and he stood up abruptly, causing John to jump slightly much to Cas and Sophie's amusement.

"Are you serious? Like house to ourselves, I can invite whoever I want, an honest to God party without parents or weird family members?" Dean said excitedly, bouncing on the spot.

"Yes, we trust you Dean…like I said, you have earned our trust back and this is your reward. Besides 18 is a big birthday and you deserve a big party." Sophie said with a warming smile, chuckling at Dean's happiness.

Castiel smiled as Dean turned to look at him with the biggest grin on his face and whipped back around to face his parents'.

"I freakin' love you guys!"

"There are rules though Dean, 18 or not you are still NOT allowed to drink – so no booze…well ok maybe a couple of beers but I draw the line at that and if you make a mess of the house or anything gets broken…then it's coming out of your own money, got it?" John explained, pointing a warning finger at his son.

Dean nodded enthusiastically.

"Got it, totally fine…ah man, now I need to decide who to invite and what to do…" Dean rambled, pacing the living room and weighing options in his head.

"Well you still have a couple of weeks before the big day, so you have time to think about it." Sophie said with a laugh.

"Why can't I go to the party!?" Sam complained from his place on the sofa.

"Cause' it's an 18th Birthday party Sammy and are you 18, nope?" Dean laughed, winding his brother up who in return threw Dean his classic bitch face.

"So I guess since Cas is only 16, he doesn't get to go either…" Sam said smugly, crossing his arms across his chest in triumph.

Dean stopped pacing, looking back over to Cas and smirked.

"Of course Cas gets to come, he's still older than you and he turns 17 soon anyways. This is gonna be awesome!" Dean fist pumped the air, buzzing from excitement.

His first initial idea that sprung to mind was that he should just take the opportunity to spend the night with Cas alone in the house, it didn't happen often. But he figured they would get to spend the night curled up in bed together anyways after the party, so Dean figured it was a win - win situation.

"Don't worry Sammy, your brother is NOT getting away without having a big family birthday meal, complete with all the 'weird' relatives." John said with a laugh.

"Ah Man!" Dean groaned this time with a frown.

Sam grinned at this and strolled out of the room, smug grin firmly in place when he seen Dean grimace at the thought of 'a big family fuss'.

Castiel stood up and walked to Dean's side with a smirk.

"Look at it this way…more people, more presents?"

Dean's frown turned upside down and he turned to face his step brother with a large, goofy smile.

"And that is exactly why I love you" Dean mumbled quietly, poking Castiel playfully on the arm.

Two weeks until Dean was to hit 18 years old and the excitement of a potential, forthcoming party was buzzing around the Winchester house.

Dean had never been happier.


	12. Chapter 12

Dean and Cas sat side by side at the kitchen table, trying to draw up a list of people to invite to Dean's 18th party. Sam sat opposite them both, swinging his legs in boredom under the table, when he accidently kicked Dean, his older brothers' attention was finally drawn and Dean lifted his head to glare at Sam.

"Sorry" Sam mumbled, bringing his legs to a halt.

"Who are you inviting then?" Cas asked curiously, glancing down to the empty piece of paper in front of Dean.

"Yeah Dean, I mean you don't really have friends."

"SAM!"

This time it was Cas' turn to glare and the youngest Winchester immediately shut up.

"No, he's right…I don't do friends, you know that Cas. I mean ok there's Jo…and maybe Gabriel, but he's more of a…oh I dunno what he is, I rarely see him other than at school and the parties he throws." Dean grumbled, throwing his pen down.

"Dean that's it! why don't you get Gabriel to plan the party! He knows people right? He can invite them; you just tell him the people you're not particularly fussed on and presto, one 18th birthday party and no stress." Cas said with a triumphant grin.

"Cas you genius…" Dean cried out with a matching grin, almost lurching forward to kiss his step brother, but stopping himself last minute.

Cas' eyes went wide momentarily but when he dared glance at Sam, he was doodling away on blank paper and not paying attention.

"…Gabriel does throw the best parties and he knows a LOT of people in school. This is the best idea ever, I'll ask him to help us out on Monday"

Dean bounced excitedly in his chair and nudged Cas with his elbow playfully.

"Got your party list together yet?" John asked, strolling into the kitchen to re-fill his cup of coffee.

"Nope, but I have a plan…well actually it was Cas' idea." Dean replied happily.

John turned to lean against the kitchen counter, cup of coffee in hand and sighed loudly.

"Do I even wanna know?" He asked, sipping his drink.

"Probably not, it's not even for definite yet." Cas responded with a shrug.

"Fine, just remember what we said Dean…you or your friends make a mess, you clean it. You or your friends break anything, you pay for it and under no circumstance do I want kegs of beer, bottles of vodka or tequila in this house, understand?" John rambled, pointing a finger in the boy's direction and raising his eyebrow.

"Yes sir" Dean and Cas replied simultaneously, Sam snickering in amusement from the other side of the table.

John left the kitchen with a smile and a nod, Sam jumping up to follow him out.

As soon as they left, Dean's grin returned and he dragged a surprised Castiel towards him by fistfuls of his t-shirt for a firm kiss on the lips.

When they broke apart, Cas raised an eyebrow at Dean and wide blue eyes stared into the sparkling green ones in front of him.

"Like I said…genius."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The night of Dean's 18th Birthday party had finally arrived.

Dean and Cas had said their goodbyes to the parents and Sam about 30 minutes ago, now the countdown was on until people started to arrive.

Clothes were flying across Dean's room as he attempted to find a good enough outfit for the night; he turned around to see Cas hovering in the doorway of his bedroom with an almost shy smile on his face and Dean couldn't help but smile in return.

"Hey Cas…whatcha doin'?" Dean asked curiously, as Cas finally moved inside the bedroom and headed towards Dean.

"I have a birthday gift for you." Cas said, taking hold of Dean's hand and leading him towards the bed where they sat on the edge.

"Oh that kind of gift, no wonder you waited until the family had cleared out." Dean laughed, sliding a hand up the inside of Cas' thigh.

Castiel laughed and rolled his eyes dramatically, ignoring the pit of want settling in his stomach and choosing to bat Dean's hand away.

"Oh believe me; I intend to take full advantage of an empty house…"

Dean smirked and leant in to kiss his step brother, only to be stopped by Cas' hand.

"…later."

Cas smiled, watching as Dean's smirk was literally wiped from his face and a pout appeared.

"Stop pouting, I actually have a gift for you and it's something I couldn't give you earlier when we gave you our presents. So here you go." Cas explained, handing a small box to Dean with another shy smile.

Dean let out a genuine smile and bit his lip in anticipation, his insides fluttering. He opened the box and pulled out a leather chord necklace, complete with a silver angel wing hanging off the end.

"Cas, it's gorgeous." Dean said in awe, fingers brushing over the angel wing.

"It's a seraph pendant; it represents love and protection. A simple gesture that says I'll always be there for you and watching over you." Cas explained further, taking the necklace from Dean and reaching to tie the leather chord around his neck.

"Just like an angel…" Dean said with a huff of laughter, fondness and awe lacing his voice, tears welling behind his eyes as he spoke.

"Well I guess, since I'm named after an angel, seems appropriate." Cas replied with a small laugh.

"You know, my mom used to say that to me when I was little, that angels were watching over me…" Dean said with a sad smile, before looking up to Cas and placing a hand on his step brothers' neck, eyes meeting with an intense stare.

"I love it and I love you, so much. Thanks Cas."

He pulled Cas into a hug and his step brother responded immediately, arms wrapping securely around Dean.

"I love you too Dean" Castiel mumbled happily into Dean's neck, pulling back from the hug and kissing him on the lips, slowly and lovingly, tasting the salty tears that had now rolled down Dean's cheeks, wetting his lips.

Dean wiped the tears away with the back of his hand and laughed loudly, rolling his eyes.

"I'm such a damn girl, this is your fault." He muttered, prodding Cas with a jab of his finger.

"Oh shut up, you love it." Cas laughed, reaching down to lace their fingers' together.

Dean hummed happily, placing another brief kiss on Cas' lips and pulled back with a smirk.

"I really…" Dean started to speak, leaning forward again and placing a wet kiss just below Cas' ear.

"Really…really…think that…I should…thank you…properly." Dean said, his words muttered between kisses being placed along Castiel's neck.

Cas moaned quietly, his body responding slowly to his step brother and internally wishing Dean had suggested a quiet birthday night in with just the two of them instead of a party.

It took a lot of willpower to push Dean away but Cas did with a groan and earning another pout.

"We can't…people will be here soon and we still have to get ready." Cas said with a smile, standing up and holding out his hand for Dean.

"We have time, can't we just…"

"No Dean…" Cas said firmly, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling Dean to his feet.

He grabbed the back of Dean's neck pulling him into a deep kiss, letting his tongue swirl lazily inside Dean's mouth and tasting every inch of him in a breath taking kiss. Cas pulled back with a smile and a wink, while Dean stared at him with lust filled eyes.

"…later I promise."

"Tease" Dean scoffed, reaching out to grab hold of Cas, who cleverly stepped backwards out of reach.

"I'm going to get ready and since it's your party, I suggest you do the same." Cas said, a smirk still playing on his lips as he backed out of the room.

Dean grinned and reached down to fondle his new necklace, his heart practically skipping a beat. Happiness swelled inside of him and he turned to continue his hunt for an outfit, with renewed excitement.


	13. Chapter 13

The doorbell sounded through the Winchester house, signalling the arrival of Dean's first party guests.

Dean threw on his green shirt, pushed up to the elbows and opened over the black t-shirt he wore. He put on his best dark denim jeans, black boots and proudly wore his new necklace over his t-shirt.

He hurried over to Cas' bedroom door and shouted through it.

"Cas I think that's Gabe and Jo, you ready?"

"I will be soon, go let them in Dean. I'll be down in a bit." Cas called back through the door.

Dean nodded and raced downstairs, opening the front door to reveal as expected, an already drunk looking Gabriel and a pissed off looking Jo.

"He is already driving me nuts." Jo scolded, pointing a finger towards Gabe.

"Hey!" Gabe cried out dramatically, before recovering quickly and shoving a bottle of vodka in Dean's hand.

"Happy Birthday Dean-O" He said happily, a large grin on his face.

Dean shook his head and handed Gabe the bottle.

"Thanks but no thanks." He said firmly with a smile.

"Oh come on." Gabe whined, earning a jab in the ribs from Jo.

"He said no, leave him alone."

Gabe rolled his eyes and stumbled towards the kitchen, Dean and Jo watched him go with a frown.

"Is he drunk?"

"Yup and he's the biggest pain in the ass EVER. Just keep him and his wandering hands away from me tonight." Jo said firmly, before taking a deep breath and calming herself.

She let a smile break out and she pulled Dean into a hug, handing him a card.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks" Dean mumbled, pulling back from the hug with a smile.

They followed Gabriel into the kitchen to make sure he was behaving, Jo got herself a drink and Gabe sat at the table, knocking back the vodka straight from the bottle. Dean sighed and leant against the counter, making a mental note to throw out the bottle before his Dad came home tomorrow.

"So where is everyone?" Dean asked curiously, glancing at his watch.

"They'll be here, all in good time my friend." Gabriel re-assured.

"Is Cas here or did he go with your parents'?" Jo asked Dean, lazily slouching in the chair and sipping her drink.

"I'm here." Cas said with perfect timing, appearing in the kitchen doorway with a smile on his face.

Castiel chuckled when he seen both Dean and Jo's jaws almost drop to the floor when they caught sight of him. Gabriel had the vodka bottle half way to his lips, but was now staring at Cas with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"Someone scrubs up well" Gabriel finally said with a snort, swigging his bottle.

"Wow Cas, you look HOT" Jo squeaked loudly in surprise.

Cas had decided to make an effort for Dean, he wore tight black jeans, a dark blue shirt pushed up to his elbows with the top few buttons undone, a red tie loosely around his neck and a black waistcoat to top off the outfit.

He knew the outfit was probably way too formal for a high school party, but he felt good about himself right now and wanted to look good for Dean. Cas quickly figured he had done exactly that, seeing Dean currently gawping openly at his step brother, his mouth wide open and his eyes wide, sparkling with that look of lust that only Cas knew.

Dean took a few cautious steps towards his step brother, his eyes slowly scanning the length of Cas' body. For a moment Cas was sure Dean was about to pounce him and out them both in front of Gabe and Jo, but he came to a stop in front of Castiel silently.

His eyes glanced past Dean to see a curious looking Jo and Gabriel now watching them both, Cas' eyes darted back to his step brother in front of him and their eyes met.

"Wow Cas…you…you really made an effort. Gonna show up the birthday boy here." Dean finally said with a loud gulp and a nervous laugh, he was biting his tongue and Cas knew that's not really what Dean wanted to say, but they can save all that for later in the privacy of the bedroom.

"Not at all, tonight is about you Dean." Cas said with a smile, playfully shoving Dean backwards to create some distance between them.

The doorbell sounded, startling Dean out of his Cas induced trance and Gabriel stood up abruptly from his seat, knocking the wooden chair backwards.

"PARTAY" he declared loudly, before running through the house to let in the first guests.

Jo laughed and stood up, heading for Dean and Cas. She clapped her hands on their shoulders', manoeuvring them both out of the kitchen.

"You heard the man…party time"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Two hours later and the party was now in full swing.

The Winchester household was filled to the brim with Dean's classmates, half of which he had never spoken to in his life. Dean and Cas stood side by side in the living room, observing as everyone danced, drank alcohol and made out with each other.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea" Dean shouted over the music, wincing as some random student he didn't know, took a tumble and knocked over the magazine rack.

Cas frowned in concern but was incredibly thankful he had taken away everything that was breakable or valuable, putting them somewhere safe.

"It will be fine Dean; we just have to make sure to clear up before they get home tomorrow." Cas re-assured, his eyes widening as one of the female students took it upon herself to strip off her top and wave it around.

Gabriel appeared beside them both, stumbling into the living room and whooping loudly as the girl danced on the coffee table.

"Ah man, I didn't think this many people would show…I'm so dead." Dean complained, rubbing his forehead.

Cas felt terrible that Dean wasn't having fun and stepped in front of him, placing both hands on Dean's shoulders.

"You listen to me Winchester, this is YOUR party…you can throw out anyone you want, you can put whatever music YOU want on the stereo, you are supposed to be having fun! Go get yourself a drink and do just that, I have your back. Any mess that may be created, we will sort it together before they're home tomorrow! Ok?" Cas said, shaking his step brother slightly and trying to get the message through.

Dean finally smiled, nodding his head and wanting nothing more than to kiss Cas right now, but he couldn't. Instead he settled for a hug and whispered into Cas' ear.

"Love you baby."

He pulled from the hug and Cas smiled fondly at him, watching as Dean strolled confidently over to the stereo and changed the music to some AC/DC.

A few students groaned loudly in complaint, but the majority continued to dance regardless.

"Anyone who has a problem with the music, lack of alcohol, the company or me for that matter, can kindly get lost. The rest of you are free to stay and celebrate my birthday with me!" Dean yelled over the music, everyone fell silent for a moment and Dean watched as a handful of students rolled their eyes and left.

Everyone else continued to go about their business and Dean let out a smug smile, winking at a smiling Castiel across the room.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

A little while later and Dean was finally relaxed, he was stood in the hallway downstairs talking to Jo, Cas and a few of Jo's other friends. His favourite tunes now playing loudly in the background and Dean bobbed his head in time to the beats.

Dean and Cas occasionally shared a secret smile, stealing small but discreet touches when and where they could.

"Best party ever…I ROCK" Gabe exclaimed, stumbling over to Dean and Cas, throwing his arms around their shoulders.

"You do indeed, thanks man. This is awesome; everyone's having a great time." Dean said happily, clapping Gabriel on the back.

Cas watched happily, until his attention was drawn to the front door being opened abruptly and his whole body froze up.

Michael and a few of the popular kids strolled into the house without knocking as if they owned the place and Cas shook his head angrily, nudging Dean to get his attention.

"Don't worry ladies, I'm here" Michael declared loudly with a laugh, slapping the ass of a girl who walked past. She yelped in shock and scurried off into the living room.

Dean caught sight of the group and he felt his blood boil, he turned to Gabriel and shoved him backwards, glaring harshly.

"What the fuck is he doing here Gabe? Did you invite him?" Dean snarled.

Gabriel was quick to hold his hands up in defence and backed up, shaking his head wildly.

"I dunno man; I didn't invite that jackass I swear!"

Dean surged forward ready for an argument until Jo stopped him and dragged him back.

"Don't start anything Dean." She warned, not wanting Dean to get into trouble.

"Gabriel and I will get rid of them." Cas said confidently, dragging Gabe with him to confront the group.

Michael started heading towards the living room, his minions in tow and lazily prodding at family pictures that hung on the walls as he went, causing one to fall off and shatter. He stopped in the doorway to the living room, wincing in distaste at the music and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I have been here two seconds and already know this party sucks."

"Then leave, you weren't invited anyway." Cas said firmly, now stood behind Michael and his group.

Dean and Jo watched from the side lines, the Winchester wanting nothing more than to jump in and kick the bastard out himself.

Michael spun on his heels and faced Cas, with a smug look on his face.

"My invite must have gotten lost in the mail. Look at you Novak, all dressed up…bet your hoping to score tonight, shame nobody wants to go near a fag like you." Michael said with a laugh, poking Cas in the shoulder and causing him to stumble slightly.

"You heard him Michael, you weren't invited." Gabriel said, stepping in between Michael and Cas.

Dean rushed to the scene, pushing Gabe out of the way and getting into Michael's personal space.

"You better get the hell out of here before I kick your ass." Dean growled, shoving Michael backwards hard.

"Oh I'm fucking terrified! What kind of a lame ass 18th Birthday party is this anyway Winchester? The only people that actually like you are that dumb bitch, this drunken tool…"

Dean snarled, his fists clenching at his sides and hearing Jo yelling from somewhere behind him in protest at Michael's words.

"…and not forgetting your fag of a step brother…yeah he likes you alright, probably sneaks into your room at night to molest you in your sleep, cause you're the only guy that goes anywhere near him…you're brave, I wouldn't want that creep in the same house as me…probably watches you shower too, pervert."

Michael smirked openly and watched as Cas winced at his words.

Dean saw red and shoved Michael hard enough for him to fall backwards onto the floor.

"Son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you, don't you dare talk about Cas that way." Dean yelled, as Michael glared up at him from the floor.

"Truth hurts doesn't it Dean?" Michael said laughing, standing back up and brushing down his clothes.

Cas reached out and grabbed Dean's hand, he whirled around to face his step brother who was looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Remember this is your party, you can throw out whoever you want. Just don't resort to violence, he's not worth it." Cas said with a small re-assuring smile.

Dean nodded and squeezed Cas' hand before letting it drop. He turned back to Michael and glared in his direction.

"Got nothing better to do than crash the party of someone you hate? That's kinda sad dude, what? Was Daddy out playing with his bit on the side again, not paying you enough attention at home?" Dean said with a smirk, watching as Michael's smile fell and he glared at Dean.

"Fuck you Winchester" Michael growled, lurching forward with his fist and punching Dean hard in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

"What, did I hit a nerve?" Dean said with a laugh, wiping away some blood that trickled from his nose.

Castiel was quick by his side, kneeling on the floor beside Dean and supporting him with an arm around his back.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Cas…or at least I will be when that jerk off leaves." Dean said, staying sat on the floor but meeting Michael's eyes.

"You heard the man, get lost Michael, nobody wants you here" Jo yelled loudly, pointing a finger in Michael's face.

Dean stood up with some help from a concerned Cas, he strolled towards the front door and opened it, motioning for Michael to leave.

"Get the fuck out of my house jackass." Dean said, fixing Michael with a glare.

"Come on, this party sucks ass anyway." Michael mumbled, motioning for his minions to follow and shoving past Dean as they left.

The party had fallen completely silent amongst the drama and the remaining students gawped at the scene, before someone turned the music back on and they carried on as normal.

"Let's get you cleaned up" Jo said, pushing Dean towards the kitchen with Cas and Gabe in tow.

Dean sat at the table, with Cas sat in the chair beside him and Jo handed Castiel a wet cloth. He wasted no time in applying the wet cloth to Dean's nose and cleaning up the blood still trickling from there. He winced slightly in pain and Cas apologised, cradling his face carefully and eyeing the forming bruise around his eye.

"Luckily I don't think you have a broken nose, he must have just clipped it but you're gonna have one hell of a black eye tomorrow." Cas said with concern lacing his voice.

Gabriel paced up and down the kitchen, grumbling to himself.

"This wasn't supposed to happen; I didn't invite him Dean I swear"

"It's alright I believe you, guy thinks it's ok to crash anyone's party." Dean muttered, as Cas continued to wipe the bits of dried blood from his face.

"He's a complete tool" Jo exclaimed angrily.

Cas finished cleaning Dean up and put the cloth down, resting a hand on his step brother's knee, concerned blue eyes scanning his face for any other signs of injury.

"Are you sure you're ok Dean?" Cas asked, squeezing his knee gently and Dean smiled, not caring that his friends were in the room.

"I'm fine Cas I swear, thanks. Are you ok, he said some pretty shitty things back there?" Dean asked with a frown, placing his hand on top of Cas'

"Yes I'm ok, they're just words Dean." Cas said with a small smile of re-assurance.

Dean smiled in return and his friends' watched their little exchange with a raised eyebrow, before Jo shrugged it off, clearly becoming used to their closeness and she clapped her hands together.

"Yep just words and false ones at that, I say we hold our heads up high and continue our partying. What say you?" Jo declared loudly.

"AYE!" Gabe yelled, rushing out of the kitchen.

She looked down at Dean and Cas in question, Dean nodded and smirked at her.

"Aye…you go ahead, we will follow you in."

Jo saluted and scuttled out of the kitchen, following the beats of the music and leaving the two brothers' alone.

"I am so proud of you Dean." Cas said immediately the moment Jo left the room.

"Why?" He asked with a frown.

"You didn't fight back, it would have been so easy for you to return that punch and you didn't. I'm proud of you." Cas said with a smile, glancing around before stealing a quick kiss from his step brother.

Dean smiled, licking his lips and nodded.

"Yeah well, guess you really are a good influence huh?"

"Damn straight" Cas said with a laugh, pulling Dean to his feet.

They shared another kiss, before heading back towards the party to end their night on a high.


	14. Chapter 14

Dean closed the door behind the last people to leave the party, he sighed in relief, leaning heavily against the closed door.

"Man aside from our minor drama earlier, gotta say that was an awesome party but I am officially wiped" Dean said with a content smile in place.

Cas smirked and headed for the staircase.

"Oh that's a shame."

"What is?" Dean asked confused, stepping towards the stairs.

"That you're so tired, because I was hoping you had some energy left for me." Cas said, smiling mischievously and unbuttoning his waistcoat, climbing the stairs.

Dean's eyes darkened a considerable amount and he liked his lips hungrily eyeing Cas.

"Oh I definitely have some energy left for that, I've been dying to get you out of them clothes all night" Dean said excitedly, before bolting the door and flying upstairs, practically chasing Cas to his bedroom.

Once they were inside, Dean dragged Cas towards him by his tie and kissed him thoroughly, earning a moan from his step brother. He broke the kiss, biting his lip as Cas discarded his waistcoat and tie. Dean practically tore the shirt from Cas' body and his lips found the soft skin of Cas' neck, mouthing and sucking at the flesh determined to leave marks.

"Oh God Dean." Cas moaned in satisfaction, pushing Dean's shirt off and pulling the t-shirt he wore over his head.

Shoes were kicked off while they kissed furiously, tongues tasting every inch of each other and their hands roaming each other's bare chests.

Dean threw Cas against the wall with a thud and plastered his own body against his step brothers', his tongue now dipping to find Cas' nipple.

He moaned loudly, fisting Dean's short hair and bucking his clothed hips against Dean's. One hand pushed between their bodies and Cas was clawing at Dean's belt to get it off, with a snap he pulled it off and set to work on getting the jeans off.

Dean shook off his jeans once they were undone and yelped in surprise when Cas flipped their positions, successfully pinning Dean against the wall. A thrill shot through Dean and he smirked, watching Cas fumble with his own tight jeans and eventually managing to kick them off. Cas' lips found Dean's once more and he pulled them back towards the bed, never breaking their heated kisses.

Dean broke their kissing as they reached the bed, waiting for Cas to lay down but was stunned again to find himself thrown down onto the bed and an insistent Castiel now straddling his hips.

"Fuck Cas, so rough baby" Dean said chuckling, running his hands up and down Cas' torso.

"Do you want it rough Dean?" Cas said with a smirk, watching Dean's cockiness fade into shock.

"I…umm…hell yes" Dean stumbled through his words, moaning when Cas ground his covered erection against Dean's.

Cas growled in pleasure, grinding his hips once more and moaning loudly above Dean, before reaching across to retrieve his tie. Dean's eyes widened at seeing the long red tie Cas had worn earlier coming into play but excitement flooded through his system and he obediently held his wrists out together.

He smirked at Dean's willingness, grabbing his step brother's wrists and pinning them above his head, managing to tie them both successfully to the headboard.

"Fuckkkk who knew you we're such a kinky son of a bitch."

"I'm going to ride you so hard cowboy" Cas whispered roughly in Dean's ear, his hand rubbing his step brother's cock through his boxer shorts.

"Fuck me" Dean hissed in pleasure, his hips bucking up against Cas' talented hand.

Cas smirked and pulled down Dean's underwear roughly, discarding them across the room before removing his own. He straddled Dean again, making sure their cocks lined up together and rutted slowly against his step brother.

"That is most definitely the plan" Cas said moaning wildly above Dean.

Dean groaned in pleasure, watching Cas reach over for the lube they kept in the drawer since they became sexually active.

Cas got to work prepping himself as Dean watched, he panted heavily watching Cas' fingers disappear in and out of himself, fucking down onto them with each thrust and moaning loudly.

"Oh come on Cas, baby please." Dean whined in frustration, tugging at his restraints and trying to buck his hips towards Cas to get the friction back.

His step brother pulled his fingers out, a predatory smile creeping up onto his face as he positioned himself above Dean's waiting cock. Cas quickly slicked Dean with lube and tossed the bottle aside.

Dean watched as Cas took hold of his cock and slowly sank down onto it, groaning at the stretch. He threw his head back in pleasure, the tightness of Cas gripping him in the most pleasurable ways possible.

Cas placed both of his hands on Dean' chest, moving his hips up and down and effectively riding Dean.

"God Cas this is the hottest thing you have EVER done." Dean yelled, tugging his restraints and using them as leverage to pull his body up, meeting every thrust down.

"Fuck Dean" Cas moaned, leaning backwards and placing both hands on Dean's thighs, gripping tight and using the new position as leverage, exposing the full expanse of his body to Dean's eyesight.

Dean's eyes widened at the new position, wanting nothing more than to reach out and run his hands all over the stretch of Cas' body. He watched his step brother bounce hard and fast on his cock, Cas' own erection bobbing in the air and begging for attention that Dean wasn't able to give since he was tied down.

"Ah holy crap, God Cas I wanna touch you." Dean cried out, breathing heavily and licking his lips.

"No touching." Cas said with a smirk, rolling his hips down and his own eyelids fluttering in pleasure, crying out in ecstasy as Dean hit that spot within him.

Dean groaned, feeling his orgasm approaching fast and forced himself to open his eyes, watching as Cas' thrusts became more insistent and fast. When Cas took hold of his own cock, pumping it furiously – that was it for Dean, he cried out loudly and came deep within his step brother.

Cas yelled Dean's name, crashing into his own orgasm and coating the entire way up his own chest with come, continuing to ride Dean through his post orgasm haze.

Finally they both came to a stop breathing heavily and Cas pulled off Dean with a wince, reaching over to undo his wrists.

Dean rubbed his wrists, noticing red marks around them and the kinky bastard in him couldn't help but feel turned on by that. He was quick to turn facing Cas in the bed, pulling him close and kissing him deeply.

They pulled back with a happy sigh and Cas was smiling in a smug fashion.

"Happy Birthday" He said laughing.

"Jeez Cas, warn a guy…that was fucking hot." Dean said laughing along with his step brother and kissing him again.

"I like taking control" Cas hummed, snuggling in beside Dean and closing his eyes.

"You don't say and I have to confess, I really really REALLY like you taking control…"

They both chuckled and Dean mulled the situation, his eyes going wide and looking down at Cas.

"…but hey since I'm now 18…I'm basically a big old pervert right, what we just did is illegal…damn Cas I could go to jail for that." Dean said in mock horror.

"Yes, you are a cradle snatcher, a pervert and I love you for it. Now shut up and go to sleep" Cas mumbled, laughing slightly under his breath.

Dean smirked and pulled Cas closer as they drifted off into a deep slumber.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The next morning Dean woke up with a groan, the first pain he felt was around his eye and memories of Michael's punch flooded back to him. The second pain he felt was only minor, but his wrists pulsed slightly and ached from being tied up, although that thought made him grin, his hand automatically going to finger the necklace he was still wearing.

He turned to face Cas in bed but realised he was alone. With a frown, Dean padded out of bed and threw on some sweat pants, heading downstairs to find Cas.

When Dean entered the living room he zoned in on Cas' now denim clad ass, that was currently waving in the air as he bent over.

"Hmmm now there's a sight first thing in the morning."

Cas cried out in shock, jumping almost a foot in the air and whirled around to face Dean with a hand on his heart.

"You scared the life out of me Dean."

"Sorry…"

He pouted, shuffling over to Cas and kissing him in apology.

"…morning gorgeous." Dean purred, pulling back with a smile and wrapping his arms around Cas' waist.

"Morning" Cas replied, his fingers reaching up to brush the skin around Dean's eye.

"Go on…how bad is the damage?" Dean asked as he watched Cas frown.

"You have a black eye, it's pretty bad…does it hurt?"

Dean sighed in annoyance at having a black eye, especially since he will have to explain it to the parent's later. He nodded in response and Cas winced in sympathy, leaning up and kissing the bruised skin.

He pulled Cas into a hug and for the first time, Dean's eyes scanned the living room over Cas' shoulder and he pulled back with a raised eyebrow.

"This place is spotless, how is that even possible? Have you been clearing up?" Dean asked accusingly.

"Yes, I got up earlier to do it, it wasn't pretty…vomit, bottles of alcohol but thankfully nothing broken or taken. I thought I'd let the birthday boy sleep." Cas replied with a shrug.

"Hey no longer the birthday boy, so no special treatment…you should have woken me up, thought we would clean up together." Dean scolded, fixing Cas with a glare.

"No big deal Dean, it's done now."

Cas gave Dean a quick peck on the lips and moved past him towards the kitchen.

"Go get ready; I think they're due home soon." Cas called back and Dean nodded, making his way upstairs to get dressed.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean re-appeared a little while later, showered and clothed. He strolled into the living room and flopped down beside Cas on the sofa.

He smirked, running a hand up Cas' thigh and leaned in to kiss him slowly. Dean pulled back with a hum and continued roaming his hand up Cas' leg.

"Hmmm how long do you think we have left before they're back?" Dean asked, nibbling at Cas' ear lobe.

Right on queue they heard the front door open and Sophie call out that they were home.

Dean sighed heavily and dropped his head, hearing Cas match his sigh.

"Dammit." He muttered, placing a quick kiss on Cas' cheek before they both got up to greet the family.

Sophie beamed as she walked in, her mouth open in shock.

"This place is spotless, not that I don't trust you boys but wow…I was expecting maybe a little mess. Did you even have a party?" She asked curiously, eyes wandering around the living room as John came in behind her.

"Yep and it was awesome, thanks for…ya know…letting me!" Dean said happily, stood beside Cas and laughing as their parent's eyes lit up in delight at coming home to a clean house.

"Wow, I'm impressed…" John said nodding in approval, before finally looking straight at Dean and his eyes widened, lunging towards his son.

"…What the hell happened to you boy?!" he said, grabbing Dean's chin and examining the black eye.

"Michael, the school jock kinda invited himself to the party and when I asked him to leave he hit me." Dean said briefly and quickly, skimming past the other details in-between.

"Dean didn't fight though, he just told him to get out." Cas said proudly.

"Good, oh Dean Sweetheart that looks painful." Sophie said, wincing in sympathy.

"That little scumbag, you should have punched his lights out" John exclaimed loudly, earning a punch to his own arm from the Mrs.

"JOHN, violence shouldn't be encouraged. Dean did the right thing." Sophie scolded.

John rolled his eyes and reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah you did, I'm proud of you boy for standing your ground." John said, patting Dean on the shoulder.

Dean chuckled and mumbled out a 'thanks'. He seen Sam stroll in lazily through the front door and look around the place with wide eyes.

"Where you been Sammy?" Dean asked curiously, since his younger brother was trailing behind.

"Thought you would have destroyed the house, so I stayed in the car for a bit longer in case there was any yelling and punishing. Looks like I was wrong!" Sam mumbled in amusement.

"Yeah damn straight you were wrong, nice to know you have some faith in me Sam!" Dean complained.

Sam smirked before catching sight of Dean's eye and scrunched his nose up in distaste.

"That's very attractive dude."

"Shut up Sam, leave your brother alone." John said sternly, ruffling Sam's hair and pushing him in the direction of the kitchen.

Dean and Cas settled back on the sofa, John settling into his armchair opposite.

"We have some good news by the way…"

"Oh?" Dean and Cas asked simultaneously, curiosity peeking.

"…We were thinking when spring break rolls around in a couple of months that you will be up the wall with final exams and will probably be in need of a serious break Dean. So Bobby suggested we take a trip up to his log cabin for the week, just the four of us and relax before you start your final school term." John explained with a warm smile.

"Wow, yeah that would be awesome Dad. Thanks!" Dean said happily, he knew when the time rolled around that he would be very thankful for the vacation and taking Cas to a place that Dean loved as a kid would be awesome too.

"That sounds great" Cas added with a smile of his own.

"Good, how about we go out for lunch? Bobby doesn't know how to feed us properly and I'm starving!" John grumbled, standing up and heading into the kitchen to fetch Sophie and Sam.

Dean and Cas smiled at each other, lacing their fingers together and counting down the days to their vacation.


	15. Chapter 15

It felt like seconds since Dean had closed his eyes, yet it was more like 3 hours and counting since he had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Castiel jabbed his step brother in the side and watched as Dean groaned, his eyes fluttering open to be greeted with the blue orbs in front of his face.

"Dean wake up, you have to pack"

"Cas I'm exhausted, can't a guy get 5 minutes sleep around here." Dean mumbled, throwing one arm over his eyes.

"You have been asleep for 3 hours Dean, it's now four in the afternoon and you need to pack for the vacation tomorrow." Cas explained, swatting Dean's feet off the sofa so he could sit down and earning a glare from the Winchester for his efforts.

Dean sat up beside Cas, rubbing his eyes sleepily and sighing heavily.

"Have I really been asleep most of the afternoon?"

"Yes, but you have been studying extra hard lately so you're forgiven. This vacation will do you good." Cas said with a small smile, running his hand through Dean's short hair.

He leant into the comforting touch, now sighing in content from the action and closing his eyes enjoying Cas' affections, a small smile now playing on his lips.

It had been a long three months that followed Dean's birthday, studying for his finals had taken up all of his weeknights and most of his weekends. Castiel along with the rest of the family were incredibly proud of how hard Dean was working to ensure he is going to pass his finals and graduate high school.

That didn't change the fact that Dean was ridiculously tired, feeling the strain of studying taking its hold and he had taken to snapping at family and friends due to exhaustion and stress. He felt as though he had barely seen anyone in the last three months, his new friends had become his books and nobody ever thought that would be the case for Dean Winchester. The only upside for Dean was that Cas was always on hand to help him study, so he was still spending a healthy amount of time with his step brother and yet it still wasn't enough for him, they hadn't had sex in a while – mostly due to studies but also down to the fact they never seemed to have the house to themselves lately and Dean felt most of their conversations these days were about math and history.

Spring break had finally rolled around and Dean was feeling even more grateful that his Dad had organised this week away in Bobby's cabin, it's exactly what he needed.

"Do you want me to pack for you? Although I really think you should pack now and sleep later, otherwise you won't get up in the morning when we have to leave." Cas said firmly, letting his hand drop from Dean just in case any family members were sneaking around.

"Jeez ok MOM, I'll go pack." Dean grumbled, standing up on wobbly legs and feeling Cas stand up next to him.

He glanced over to his step brother who looked somewhat amused and maybe a little annoyed at the Mom comment. Dean plastered on a charming grin and gave Castiel a quick peck on the cheek, it was enough to wipe the annoyed look off his face.

"Come on, you can at least help me." Dean suggested, tugging on Cas' arm.

Cas nodded in agreement and smiled, following Dean upstairs to pack for their vacation.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

John pulled the impala up onto the bumpy surface outside the cabin and put the car into park, Dean got out of his baby still looking slightly annoyed at the fact he was denied the right to drive his car to the cabin and instead spent the entire journey squished next to Sam in the back.

Sam had spent the entire two hour drive rambling about his friends, school and the lack of 'cool' music on the radio, all the while kicking his legs impatiently AND to top it off, putting that bit of distance between Dean and Castiel by sitting in between them both.

As soon as they exited the impala, Dean let out a breath of relief, yelling 'Thank God' into the open air and watching as Sam bolted to the cabin first, waiting for John to unlock the door.

Dean went around the impala to fetch their bags from the trunk, when he caught sight of Castiel stretching up to the heavens after being cooped up in the car and his shirt lifting at the bottom slightly to reveal those hip bones that Dean had come to love and the hip bones he hadn't been given the chance to worship for quite a while. An excited thrum echoed through Dean and even more so when Cas caught him looking, they shared a secret smile and continued to grab the bags from the trunk.

"Its ok guys, we will get the bags." Dean announced sarcastically as he and Cas struggled through the front door with everyone's stuff weighing them down.

Sam rolled his eyes, continuing his inspection of the cabin while Sophie and John rushed back to help their sons with the bags.

"Sorry boys just wanted to check the place out. We haven't been up here in years; do you remember how much you and little Sammy used to love this place?" John beamed, gripping Dean's shoulder and smiling at his eldest son.

"I sure do, it's been a while…how old was I last time we were here, 13 maybe?" Dean said with a grin, putting the bags on the ground and letting his eyes roam around the well-kept cabin.

"I don't remember much of it." Sam grumbled, flopping down onto the patterned sofa.

"You wouldn't do kid, you were only young." John said laughing and ruffling Sam's hair affectionately.

"I remember the fishing trips though" Sam said excitedly, sitting up and grinning at his Dad.

John grinned in return at the comment before walking around to explore the bedrooms to refresh his memory; he couldn't remember how many rooms there were.

"So what do you think of Bobby's cosy little cabin?" Dean said with a smile, gesturing around the living room and kitchen area.

"I think it's adorable, we are going to have a great week here" Sophie said smiling widely and taking a look around the kitchen.

"Agreed, I think we all deserve a vacation." Cas stated, throwing a wink in Dean's direction and earning a cheeky smirk back.

John came back into the living room, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing in frustration.

"We have a problem…"

"What is it Dad?" Dean asked curiously, heading over to John.

"…there are only two bedrooms and a bathroom."

"I thought you said there were four bedrooms?" Sophie enquired, sitting beside Sam on the sofa.

"There used to be, but Bobby must have knocked the wall down between the main room and the smallest room to make the master bedroom a little bigger and the other spare room is now a junk room. There is no bed in there and it's full of crap that I won't be able to clear out." John explained sighing loudly.

Dean raised an eyebrow at his Dad.

"So what are the options?" Dean asked, motioning for his Dad to continue.

"Well, Sophie and I will obviously take the master bedroom. The other bedroom is pretty big so I guess the three of you will have to share unless someone wants to take the sofa in here."

"No way are any of them sleeping on this thing John, no offence to Bobby but it's the most uncomfortable sofa I have ever sat on, so sleeping on it is not an option." Sophie said with a frown, bouncing slightly on the springy cushion to emphasise her point and distaste.

"Ok, so I guess you guys are sharing. Sorry" John mumbled, joining Sophie on the sofa just as Sam jumped to his feet and John awaited the fireworks that were about to kick off.

"You have got to be kidding right?" Dean cried out, his hopes of having the bedroom as his only sanctuary away from the crazy and occasionally sneaking Cas in for fun times had now been completely dashed.

"I don't wanna share a room Dad; especially not with Dean…he snores!"

"I do NOT snore and I don't wanna share a room with you either, the toxic gas that leaves your body at night is enough to kill off all the surrounding wildlife."

"It is not!"

"Is too, bitch!"

"Jerk"

"ENOUGH…" John yelled, standing up and pushing his two sons' away from each other.

Castiel watched on in amusement as John continued to calm his son's down.

"…I feel more sorry for Cas in this situation, having to put up with you two and I'm sorry you all have to share but deal with it, cause you have no other option here. There is enough room in there for three of you, so sort it out and less of the arguing, we're on vacation"

"We will sort something out." Cas said calmly and headed towards their room.

"See, voice of reason right there…now go with Cas, sort your bags and sleeping arrangements out. I don't want any more bitching, you hear me?" John said, pointing an accusing finger between Sam and Dean.

"Yes sir" They mumbled at the same time, before collecting their bags and heading in the direction of the bedroom.

"It's gonna be a long week." John sighed, collapsing on the sofa next to Sophie who patted his knee in sympathy.

"I'm sure everything will work out just fine sweetheart."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

As soon as Sam and Dean entered the bedroom, they were stopped in their paths by a wide eyed Castiel. He put his hands on both their shoulders to stop them moving further into the room.

"Ok, don't freak out but we have another problem."

"Oh God, could it get much worse? What is it?" Dean groaned, throwing his bag on the floor.

Castiel winced, moving out of their line of sight to reveal one pull out sofa bed just big enough for one person and one double bed.

Both Winchester's saw the situation unfold before their eyes and when realisation hit, they both groaned in unison.

"I am NOT sharing a bed with Dean, not only does he snore…but he kicks too." Sam complained, running for the sofa bed to occupy it.

Cas rolled his eyes dramatically and sat on the edge of the double bed.

"He's not that bad Sam." Cas mumbled, before he realised what he said and looked up to Dean with panicked eyes.

"How would you know? When have you ever shared a bed with Dean?" Sam asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm, you know that time you seen us…when we had fallen asleep on the bed, remember?" Dean said in a rush, trying to explain to his younger brother.

The memory washed over Sam like a tsunami and he laughed in amusement, remembering the embarrassing situation he had caught them in.

"You mean when you guys were cuddling?"

"We were NOT cuddling, we had fallen asleep and…you know what, I'm not going over this with you again…shut up Sam." Dean protested enough that his brother found it believable.

Sam rolled his eyes and stretched out on the sofa bed, his hands resting easily behind his head.

"Anyway maybe Dean didn't kick or snore that night, but he does when he's shared with me in the past! I remember vividly when we were kids and were forced to share a bed, it was a nightmare. So I am not taking that chance, I call the sofa bed." Sam said with a shit eating grin.

"But –"

"No Cas, you said Dean wasn't that bad…so you put up with him." Sam interrupted Cas' protests and reached over for his bag, starting to pull out his books.

"Fine, I'd sooner share with Cas anyways." Dean stated with a smirk of his own and earning a light punch on the arm, along with a glare from his step brother.

"Why? So you can cuddle some more?" Sam teased, throwing a pair of balled up socks at Dean.

"You shut your mouth." Dean grunted, throwing the socks back at his little brother.

Sam stuck out his tongue and started to read his book, ignoring the other two.

Cas motioned for them to step outside and Dean followed, throwing Sam the middle finger before he left the room.

Once outside and with a little privacy, Cas punched Dean hard on the arm.

"Ow what the fuck was that for?" Dean complained, rubbing his arm in pain.

"What the hell are you playing at Dean? We can't share a bed!" Cas hissed, sighing in frustration.

"Picture me confused Cas, we have shared a bed before…lots of times, why is this an issue now?" Dean asked frowning at his step brother.

"Because…Sam will be in the room."

"AND?"

Castiel sighed heavily again and rubbed his forehead.

"And…the point is, we DO cuddle in bed and we do other stuff too. You do realise how frustrating it's gonna be right? We are going to spend our weeks' vacation fighting off the urges to cuddle and kiss and have sex, every single night Dean! We're gonna have to be extra careful with Sam in the room and I don't know about you, but I'm going to struggle keeping my hands to myself as it is. We haven't fooled around, had sex or even slept in the same bed for weeks Dean!"

Dean closed his eyes as realisation swept through him and he started to understand where Cas was coming from, it was going to be hell for them to be so close but not touch. They really didn't think this through.

"Dammit, I didn't think of it like that. You're right…" Dean pinched the bridge of his nose

"…we'll be ok though, I'm sure if we are sneaky enough…" Dean continued, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"NO Dean, it's too risky. If this is the arrangement then we have to keep our distance while Sam is in the room…I will not fool around with you because one, I really don't want to with Sam there and two it's a huge risk. We will just have to contain ourselves." Cas said firmly, poking Dean in the chest and pushing past him to go back into the room.

A pout appeared on Dean's face and he rolled his eyes before reluctantly following Cas back into their shared room.

This week was already turning out to be torture and Dean was suddenly wishing they were back home, in the comfort of their own beds.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning the family were ready to face their first full day in the cabin, all except Dean who was just stumbling out of bed and strolling lazily into the kitchen at 11am.

"Afternoon sunshine" John teased, raising his mug of coffee to his lips and watching as Dean slumped into the chair opposite him.

"Afternoon, is it really that late?" Dean gasped, rubbing his eyes.

"Ignore your Dad, no it's only 11…but close enough." Sophie said, putting a glass of water in front of Dean.

"I didn't mean to sleep in, did you guys have plans?" Dean sighed, picking up his water to take a swig.

"Nothing in particular planned, just thought we would settle in. Soph and I were thinking of going for a walk into the town centre if you wanna come. If not Sam and Cas are already out there enjoying the sun."

"I think I'll join the brothers' outside, where are they?"

"I believe they're taking a dip in the lake sweetheart."

Dean nodded and chugged back the rest of his water before heading back to get ready for the day ahead.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean strolled down the embankment towards the lake, following the sounds of splashing and laughing. The lake came into view and he could see his brothers' swishing around in the water, Dean smiled and took a seat on the bench close to the water, still undecided if he was up for a swim or not.

Castiel caught sight of his step brother and smiled brightly, Sam followed the smile, waving at Dean enthusiastically.

"DEAN! COME ON IN!" Sam yelled, motioning for his older brother to join them.

The older Winchester pulled the bench closer to the edge of the water so they didn't have to shout so much and sat back down.

"You know there are crocodiles in there right?" Dean said in a serious tone.

He watched in amusement as Cas momentarily flailed in the water, his eyes widening and scanning the nearby water.

Sam rolled his eyes and shot a glare at Dean, who was now chuckling to himself.

"Ignore Dean, he's lying! Dad said we used to swim in here all the time." Sam said to his wide eyed step brother.

"Are you sure..." Cas asked worriedly, glancing back over to Dean on the embankment, who quickly brought his chuckling to a stop.

"…that's his serious face!"

Dean broke into a smile, earning himself a splash of water for his winding up.

"Bastard" Cas muttered, swimming closer to the embankment and closer to Dean.

Sam continued to tread water further out and occasionally dipping his head under.

As Cas reached the shallow part of the lake, he started walking out and over to Dean who was still sat lazily stretched out on the bench.

Dean watched Cas saunter over to him in nothing but his dark blue swim shorts, water dripping heavily down his naked chest and shorts clinging to him in a way that should be illegal. It seemed like all the blood in Dean's body immediately headed south and straight to his attention seeking dick, it had been way too long since he had touched or seen Cas in THAT way.

Of course the sleeping situation they were in last night certainly didn't help. Cas had kept a respectable distance between them in the double bed, to avoid any suspicion from Sam and even when the younger Winchester had fallen asleep, Dean had tried to sneakily reach out under the covers to touch Cas but had earned a slap to the hand from an over cautious Castiel for his effort.

"Damn Cas, are you trying to kill me?" Dean mumbled as Cas reached him, bending down to pick up his towel and ruffle his hair dry.

He watched in amusement as Cas' hair stood up at odd angles, giving him back his 'just fucked' look that Dean loved so much and that sight alone made him even more aroused.

"Excuse me?" Cas replied innocently and tilting his head to one side.

"You expect to pull the whole James Bond coming out of the water move and for me NOT to get turned on?" Dean said chuckling, letting his eyes roam greedily over Cas' body.

Cas raised an eyebrow in amusement when he finally clicked onto Dean's train of thought and smirked down at his step brother.

"Oh I'm sorry Mr Winchester, am I turning you on?" Cas continued in his innocent tone, keeping his voice low enough that Sam couldn't overhear.

"Now who is the bastard?" Dean chuckled, standing up in front of his step brother, personal space forgotten.

Cas smiled and dropped the towel back on the bench behind Dean. He felt his step brother let out a ragged breath against his neck as he bent forward and now Cas' own dick was definitely paying attention.

"God I miss you so much baby" Dean groaned in frustration, hands itching by his sides and wanting nothing more than to reach out to Cas.

"I miss you too, I'm counting the minutes until I can get you alone and back into that bed…but we can't…not right now anyways." Cas said with a sad smile, glancing back over his shoulder to Sam who was still splashing away happily.

"Ok I know, you're right…but…when?" Dean asked, hope lacing his voice.

"I suppose when we have the cabin to ourselves, we will have to fake ill or just stay behind one day when they all decide to go out somewhere." Cas suggested with a slight shrug.

Dean sighed heavily, knowing Sam usually likes sticking with his brothers' and getting him away from the cabin would be a chore, but he lived in hope. The Winchester nodded in understanding and shot Cas a small smile, which his step brother returned without hesitation.

"Come on, I think I'm ready to go for a swim." Dean said, playfully pushing Cas backwards.

"I just dried off!" Cas protested as Dean pushed him backwards a little more towards the water.

He watched as Dean stepped back and started peeling off his dark green t-shirt, leaving him half naked in his black swim shorts. Cas' eyes went wide, his breathing hitched slightly and he drank in the sight of Dean, much in the same way he had been ogled by his step brother earlier.

"Well baby, prepare to get nice and wet all over again." Dean whispered quietly into Cas' ear and feeling his step brother tremble slightly.

Dean shot Cas a subtle wink, before pushing past him and wading out into the water to join Sam.

Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean's cheesy comment but it still affected him none the less and he couldn't help but willingly follow Dean back into the water.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

That night after a family dinner and some time playing silly board games, Sam declared he was going to bed, leaving the remaining four at the dinner table to complete their game of 'Sorry'.

It wasn't too long after the game ended that Dean and Cas decided to call it a night too, heading off to their bedroom. When they got inside, they heard Sam snoring loudly in the corner and Cas chuckled seeing his younger step brother with one leg hanging out of the bed.

Once they were stripped down to boxers and t-shirts, Dean and Cas slid into their double bed to get some sleep and yet sleep was the last thing on Dean's mind as he shuffled closer to Cas.

Dean leant forward slightly and kissed the end of Cas' nose, watching his step brothers' eyes snap open to glare. He chuckled, shuffling closer and locking his arms around Cas' waist so he couldn't move.

"Dean we said…" Cas whispered in confusion, only to have Dean's finger placed over his lips to silence him.

"I know and we will, but I just wanted to kiss you. I can see Sam from here…hell I can HEAR Sam from here. Believe me, he's asleep. I just want to hold you for a while, k?" Dean whispered in return, resting his forehead against Cas' and feeling him nod in response.

Cas smiled, moving forward to capture Dean's lips and quickly deepening the kiss by sliding his tongue into Dean's hot, willing mouth.

They kissed lazily for what felt like hours, releasing quiet breathy moans into each other's mouths and Dean occasionally glancing over Cas' shoulder to check Sam was still asleep. In the end it was actually Cas who tried to move their situation to the next level, by sliding his hand under the covers and gripping Dean's hip roughly.

Dean broke their kiss and smirked at a now debauched Castiel, waving his finger in Cas' face as a warning.

"Thought we talked about this, I got a slap when my hands wandered." Dean whispered in amusement, moving Cas' hand off his hip.

Cas ignored his step brother, grabbing Dean's wrist and bringing the waving finger into his mouth, sucking hard and making direct eye contact with Dean.

"Fuck Cas, if you don't stop I really am gonna lose control…whether Sam is here or not and then we're really screwed." Dean whispered raggedly, watching Cas moan and suck around his finger.

In the end Dean knew he couldn't take it anymore and pulled his hand from Castiel, shaking his head.

"Dammit Cas it was your idea to be careful." Dean whispered, almost in a feral growl.

"I'm sorry, you're right. We should just…get some sleep." Cas said quietly with a resigned sigh, finally following his own advice from earlier.

They kissed one final time and distanced themselves in the double bed, trying to be happy with the little contact they had managed to get away with tonight.

Moments later Sam clumsily fell out of his sofa bed and caused a massive bang, making Dean and Cas shoot up in bed looking to the ground.

"Ouch"

"You ok Sammy?" Dean asked, glancing down at his little brother sprawled on the floor.

"No, that hurt."

"What happened?" Cas asked, worried for a moment that Sam had been awake the whole time.

"I must have rolled over in my sleep and fell out." Sam replied, padding out of the bedroom to use the bathroom.

"That was close, moments earlier and he would have caught us." Cas said in a panic as soon as Sam left the room.

"See aren't you glad I put a stop to your sexual advances." Dean laughed in amusement, jabbing Cas in his side.

"I'd hardly call them sexual advances."

"Oh please, you wanted me bad bro." Dean teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Castiel simply glared in response.

When Sam returned to the bedroom, he flopped heavily back onto his bed and sighed loudly.

"I was having such a nice sleep too." He complained, adjusting to get comfortable.

"You know that you snore right?...LOUDLY" Dean teased in Sam's direction and hearing a huff from his younger brother.

"Do not" He protested sleepily.

"Do too" Both Cas and Dean retorted at the same time.

Sam grunted in response before drifting back into a deep slumber.

"Night Cas" Dean said with a chuckle, turning his back on his step brother.

"Goodnight Dean."


	17. Chapter 17

Their second full day and things were definitely looking up.

Sam was insistent about going to the nearby country fair, which apparently had a lot of 'interesting' things to do and he wanted to spend at least half the day there.

Dean had suggested that he and Cas go into town and catch a movie, maybe window shop instead. There was a lot of protesting from Sam who wanted them all to spend the day together but John sympathised with his other sons' and gave them the OK to go into town, silently wishing he could go with them.

John gave Dean the keys to the impala and he excitedly tugged at Cas' t-shirt, practically hauling them out of the door.

"Finally we get to spend some alone time together." Dean said happily, settling into the familiar driver's seat with a grin.

"It was quick thinking, even for you…although the country fair does sound pretty good…" Cas said with a chuckle.

"Don't even go there Cas, we could have stayed in the cabin but your Mom doesn't think there will be enough at the fair to entertain them all day. At least this way WE can spend the whole day together." Dean mumbled, throwing his baby into drive and heading towards the town.

"Awww you're too cute." Cas teased, poking Dean in the arm.

"Am not, shut your mouth."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean parked up the impala outside the row of stores and jumped out of the car excitedly; he caught sight of the cinema up the street and smiled.

"What do you say to a little shopping and then the movies later?" Dean suggested as Cas got out of the car.

"I say…it sounds like a plan." Cas said smiling and heading over to Dean.

They fell into step beside each other as they browsed the limited selection of shops in the town. Occasionally they actually went inside and had a look around but never bought anything due to lack of money.

After stopping for a much needed drink and sandwich, they started making their way towards the cinema.

As they walked down the road, Cas felt Dean slide his hand into Cas' own hand and the younger step brother froze momentarily, almost pulling back on instinct.

"Why so jumpy? Nobody knows us here Cas, we can just be a normal…couple for once." Dean explained, pulling Cas closer and interlocking their fingers, squeezing his hand tightly.

Castiel looked at Dean with awe and his lips twitched into an almost shy smile, squeezing Dean's hand in return and letting out a relieved breath.

"This is nice." He commented quietly as they walked hand in hand towards the movie theatre.

Dean grinned in response and leant in to place a chaste kiss on Cas' lips.

"Agreed, wish we didn't have to sneak around back home…it sucks." Dean mumbled, his smile dropping into from a happy one to a sad one.

"Let's not think about that right now, let's just make the most of today. Ok?" Cas said, coming to a stop outside the cinema and tightening his hold on Dean's hand, bringing him into another kiss.

"You're right, let's go decide on a movie." Dean said happily, dragging Cas into the cinema.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

One terrible action movie, a lot of sly back row kissing and a smidge of inappropriate public groping later and they were pulling the impala back up outside of the cabin.

"Well, it was nice while it lasted." Dean said with a sigh, putting the impala into park.

Cas nodded in agreement as they headed towards the cabin.

Dean tried to open the door but found it was locked, thankfully he had the spare key with him and he unlocked the front door. They both frowned as they got inside to what appeared to be an empty cabin, all the lights were off and there wasn't a single sound aside from the crickets outside.

"Dad? Sophie? Sam?" Dean called out, flipping on the light and spying a note on the kitchen table.

"They can't still be at the Country fair right?" Cas asked curiously, heading into the kitchen where Dean stood reading a note.

"Dean & Cas, got back from the fair about 6 and decided to head back out for some dinner, we figured you and Cas would be eating in town. Be back in a few hours, See you later boys" Dean read the note aloud and dropped it back on the table.

"We just missed them, its 6:15 now." Cas mused, glancing at the kitchen clock.

A mischievous smirk settled across Dean's face and he stalked towards Cas.

"You know what that means right?"

"I think it means we actually have the place to ourselves" Cas said happily, dragging Dean into a passionate kiss.

Dean pulled back breathlessly, biting his lip and clinging to Castiel like there was nobody else in the world that mattered.

"Get that sexy ass into the bedroom, I'm gonna make you scream." Dean growled down Cas' ear and slapping him on the ass hard, hearing Cas' gasp and moan loudly.

"Screaming is for girls." Cas whispered breathlessly.

"Hmm we will see about that." Dean chuckled, grabbing hold of Cas' hand and tugging him towards the bedroom.

"Fucking finally."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

It wasn't long until Dean and Cas had discarded their clothes on the bedroom floor, pushing, pulling and clinging to one another, lips constantly finding available patches of skin where they could.

Now fully naked, Cas sat on the edge of the bed looking up at Dean and gripping his hips roughly, pulling him to stand in-between Cas' now spread legs.

Castiel wasted no time in taking hold of Dean's already erect cock and giving it a few firm strokes, blue eyes flickering up to see the pleasure and relief on Dean's face.

"God Cas please, I want your mouth on me." Dean moaned, fisting one hand in Cas' hair and pulling hard, earning a hiss of pleasure from his step brother.

He licked his lips before opening them wide and practically impaling his mouth on Dean's cock, taking him all the way in. Dean was unprepared for the sudden sensation, expecting some tongue teasing first but this was way better and he pulled on Cas' hair again in encouragement, releasing a shuddering moan.

Cas started bobbing his head up and down on Dean, dragging his tongue along the sensitive underside on every move upwards and leaving Cas shaped hand prints on Dean's tanned hips.

"Fuck Cas, I've missed this, missed you." Dean panted, his eyes rolling back in pleasure and tugging again on Cas' hair.

His younger step brother moaned hungrily around his cock, vibrations causing Dean to nearly fall over the edge too soon and he glanced down to see Cas' eyes closed in concentration, saliva and pre-come sliding down his chin.

"You like that baby, when I pull your hair?" Dean teased; pulling harder and feeling another moan vibrate around him.

Cas' eyes snapped open and looked up to Dean, blue eyes darkened with lust as he hummed in response around Dean's cock.

"Fuck, so hot Cas." Dean moaned, using his willpower to tug Cas' hair again and pulling the younger boy off him.

"Get on your hands and knees" Dean commanded, his cock twitching in further interest when Cas nodded enthusiastically and got into the position on the bed.

Dean loved taking command sometimes, although he had to admit a Dom Cas was a fucking hot Cas but it's good to switch things up.

He slid onto the bed behind Cas, who was eagerly offering his ass up to Dean and the older step brother couldn't help but moan at the sight. Dean quickly bent down and retrieved the lube he kept in his bag, throwing it onto the bed next to Cas.

Dean ran his hand up and down Cas' spine, before bringing both hands to rest on Cas' ass cheeks, spreading them apart to see his tight hole and Cas groaned loudly in frustration.

"Dean please" Cas moaned, pushing backwards.

"Patience, we have time." Dean said quietly, keeping Cas' cheeks spread and simply drooling over the sight.

He leant forward deciding to test something out, he had seen it in pornos but hadn't been brave enough to do it so far but Dean was so beyond horny right now that he would do anything.

Dean tentatively flicked his tongue out against Cas' hole and the younger boy's body froze instantly and Dean suddenly worried he had taken it too far.

Cas didn't say a word, he just seized up so Dean decided to try again and licked over the sensitive hole again. The earth shattering moan that filled the room was enough to tell Dean he was doing the right thing and he smirked, shuffling closer moving to lick again and again and again until Cas was a writhing mess, barely able to stay balanced on his hands and knees.

"Again Dean, more, please, fuck" Cas panted heavily, pushing his ass back against Dean's face as he breached Cas with his tongue, effectively licking him open.

It didn't taste great but surprised Dean how much he enjoyed this, the best part sending Cas into a pile of jelly and he couldn't help but grin in triumph.

Castiel moaned loudly, his hands giving way and falling to rest on his elbows instead, his head now ducked down trying to catch his breath.

"Enough Dean…I can't…I won't last dammit." Cas said through shuddering breaths and Dean pulled back in understanding, finally making a grab for the lube.

Dean made quick work of opening Cas up further with three fingers and making sure he was wet enough for Dean to just slide in, all the while Cas was growing impatient, fucking against Dean's hand and his cock hanging heavily, dripping with pre-come.

The teasing was so beyond over, they had both been waiting for what felt like forever to have this moment again and Dean was more than ready to be buried deep within his step brother again.

He slicked his cock up and lined up against Cas, pushing all the way inside without hesitation. Both boys' groaned loudly in relief and it wasn't long before Dean was frantically pounding Cas hard.

"Fuck yes; I love you…so fucking…much." Dean panted, moaning loudly and punctuating each word with a hard thrust against Cas' prostate, leaving the younger boy a hot mess below him.

Cas moaned loudly, the headboard of the bed banging loudly against the wood of the wall and causing an echo around the room. He fisted the sheets, gripping tightly as he felt Dean plaster his body over Cas' back, the sweat running down their bodies causing a pleasant slide of skin against skin.

Dean kissed the top of Cas' spine, slamming hard and insistent into his ass, hands gripping Cas' sides so tightly that it was bound to leave red marks.

He sat back up, pulling Cas up with him and bringing them both into an upright position on their knees, Dean's body planted against Cas' back as he continued to thrust deep inside of his step brother.

The change of position actually managed to pull a sound that was close to a scream from Cas, as Dean went deeper and harder, running rough hands down Cas' sweaty chest and tweaking his nipples roughly.

"FUCK DEAN." Cas cried out as Dean's hand's roamed the length of his body.

Dean wrapped one arm secure around Cas' waist holding him in place, while the other slid further down and gripped his cock, jerking him off hard and fast in time with the thrusts.

He sucked at the flesh on Cas' neck, nipping and licking the same spot over and over. Dean moaned loudly, slamming once more into Cas before coming heavily inside of his step brother.

"Ahhhh CAS!" Dean groaned loudly, continuing to stroke Castiel until he reached his own orgasm.

Cas came with a whine of Dean's name as his orgasm rushed through him, lighting every nerve on fire and coating Dean's hand with come.

"Fuck." He breathed out, finally collapsing on the bed face first.

He felt Dean lie down next to him, wiping his hand on one of their t-shirts, before turning to look at Cas.

"Damn that was well worth the wait." Dean said, letting out a satisfied hum.

Cas laughed and nodded, his body feeling exhausted but still buzzing from a mix of adrenaline and continued pleasure.

"Agreed…just wow."

They smiled in content, shuffling closer and entwining their bodies, kissing slowly and savouring the moment.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

They had both managed to stay awake for the next couple hours, worried that they would fall asleep in each other's arms and get caught. Neither bothered to get up and shower due to sheer laziness.

When it hit 9pm, they decided to just stay in bed anyway and tell the family they were exhausted from a busy day and wanted an early night. Which was in fact true, but obviously for different reasons, they separated themselves and put a respectable distance between them once again when they heard the door finally open at 9:45pm.

Dean and Cas pretended to be asleep already as Sam entered the bedroom and they heard him getting changed before settling into his own bed.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The following morning, Dean heard Sam get up at 8am and shuffle out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Dean glanced to see Cas with his back to him, realising they had forgotten to change back into their shorts and t-shirts before Sam came home last night. Luckily the covers were pulled up high around them both. He got up from the bed, shuffling over to the door and locking the pathetic but useful lock on the old wooden door before returning to the bed.

Dean plastered himself up against Cas' back and wrapped one arm around his waist, kissing the back of his neck.

What started out as innocent quickly turned as Dean's cock was naturally rubbing against the cleft of the younger boys' ass. He moaned quietly, feeling himself harden again with a renewed bout of lust. Dean rubbed himself insistently against Cas, causing his step brother to wake up sleepily, his own cock now hardened with morning wood beneath the sheets as Dean reached his hand down to take hold of it firmly.

Castiel gasped and was suddenly fully awake and alert. Dean quickly covered Cas' mouth with his other hand, while his left hand continued to stroke the younger boy slowly.

"Shhhh I know you said we can't do this while they're in the house…but the door is locked and Sam has gone to get breakfast." Dean explained quickly, seeing Cas' eyes widen with both lust and worry.

Dean took his hand off Cas' cock, keeping the other hand still firmly planted over Cas' mouth and he brought his free hand back to wriggle it's way between Cas' ass cheeks, entering one finger inside of his step brother. Cas moaned against Dean's hand and tried to wriggle away, but Dean gasped, pushing his finger further inside and feeling slightly giddy that Cas was still loose and wet enough for them to do this again.

"Holy crap Cas, I'm so hot for you right now." Dean groaned, pulling his finger out of Cas and pulling the younger boys' leg back over his own and lining his cock up against Cas, who was still struggling.

"Dean we can't" Cas said muffled under Dean's palm, his eyes wide with panic and a fear of getting caught.

"Yes we can, so you're gonna shut up and take it like a good boy, right Cas?" Dean growled down his step brothers' ear and watched as the dirty talk did things to his younger brother, eyes rolling back in his head as he nodded in agreement.

Dean lined himself up and pushed inside of Cas in one smooth thrust, grabbing hold of Cas' hip roughly.

"Fuck me" Dean groaned into the back of Cas' neck and started thrusting lazily in and out, relishing their newest position.

Cas moaned loudly under Dean's palm as his older step brother picked up the pace and slammed hard against Cas' sweet spot, the younger boy wriggling furiously back against Dean.

"Shhh quiet little bro, don't want Mommy or Daddy to hear right?" Dean smirked, panting heavily in Cas' ear, the dirty talk picking up a pace and causing a muffled whine to spring from Cas.

"Or maybe that's what you secretly want huh Cas? For them to hear how good I make my little brother feel, how I can make you scream and beg." Dean continued to purr down Cas' ear, slamming hard and more insistent into Cas, his orgasm nearing already.

Cas moaned loudly but muffled against Dean's hand as he brought his free hand back to Cas' starved cock and started pumping it fast, causing his younger step brother to fall over the edge immediately, spilling over Dean's hand and the bed sheets.

Dean followed with a shudder, spilling more of his come inside of Castiel and supressing his own moan by biting down on Cas' shoulder.

He finally removed himself from Cas with a grin and lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Cas slowly turned over onto his other side to face Dean with a raised eyebrow.

"You shouldn't have done that…"

"I know."

"…but it was, interesting…new. I loved it." Cas finished with a smirk, placing a kiss on Dean's lips.

"Hmm knew you would, you're a dirty son of a bitch." Dean said with a laugh.

"Look who's talking…what's with the new kink?"

"Making the best of a sensitive topic?" Dean suggested, wincing as he remembered the words spilling from his mouth minutes ago.

"I suppose" Cas said with a shrug, lying back on the bed with a small smile.

It was obvious that neither of them clearly wanted to be caught out but Dean was right, he was making light of their situation in some weird, kinky kind of way and Cas was fine with that, as long as they weren't found out.

It was evident when they entered the kitchen a little while later that they hadn't drawn any attention to themselves, they had obviously been quiet and careful enough that nobody suspected anything. It sent a new thrill coursing through Dean and Cas.

This gave them both a renewed confidence about their little secret and they were beginning to feel somewhat invincible to the point where they felt they could actually get away with this right under the family's noses.


	18. Chapter 18

Now five days into their vacation and Dean had well and truly changed his mind, it was the best vacation he had ever been on with the family. There was one reason for that, Castiel.

The family yet again sat around inside the cabin playing a board game on this rainy Thursday afternoon. The unexpected rainfall outside had spoiled their plans for the day but the Winchester-Novak's decided to make the best of it and spent some more quality time together as a family.

Currently Sam was playing host, while John and Sophie teamed up against Dean and Cas, going head to head in a fierce game of knowledge and truth be told, all around silliness. Sam had expressed his distaste for this game saying it was silly, even for a boy of his age but his family were in good spirits while they acted out impressions of famous figures, answered ridiculous questions of truths and attempted wacky dares.

Ok so Sam found it pretty funny to watch them make complete fools of themselves and they seemed to find it hilarious too.

"Alright this is a puppeteer charade." Sam explained reading off the card in front of him and directing his attention to current team Dean and Cas, who raised their eyebrows in amusement.

"Puppeteer?" Dean repeated with a huff of laughter.

"Yep, use your team member as a puppet and act out the action on this card. The team member acting as a puppet must guess what the action is, they can't see the card."

Castiel chuckled loudly, ducking his head in clear amusement.

"I vote Cas is the puppet…" Dean cried out, raising his hand high in the air.

"HEY"

"…what? You are shorter and will be easier to umm…move around." Dean explained to a now slightly offended looking Cas.

Sophie chuckled in amusement at the step brothers' and John threw his head back, laughing loudly at the exchange.

"This is gonna be hysterical." He managed to wheeze out between laughs.

"Don't get too cocky Dad; we are currently whooping your ass in this game. Cas and I make a great team." Dean said pointedly.

John sat up straight to glare at his son, a sparkle of amusement still hidden behind his eyes and a smirk still playing on his lips.

"Alright boy's let's see what you got."

Castiel sighed loudly and got up from his chair, moving it out of the way as Dean did the same.

Sam handed Dean the card and he read the action on the back with an amused smirk, handing it back to Sam, away from Cas' curious eyes.

"Alright, let's do this" Dean said, clapping his hands together.

Cas turned his head to capture the sight of a mischievous looking Dean, the younger step brother knew that look and it wasn't usually the look that came out to play when they were in the presence of family.

Dean stepped behind Cas, facing his step brother straight ahead and looking at the three family members sat at the table. A blush crept up Cas' cheeks as he felt Dean press his crotch firmly against Cas' denim clad ass and grab hold of one of his hips.

"D-Dean…" Cas stammered, but Dean pressed even more tightly against Cas.

Dean ran his hands down the length of Cas' arms, joining them together in front of him and keeping his own hands resting over his step brothers now entwined fingers.

"This is easy, trust me Cas." Dean whispered hotly down Castiel's ear and his heart rate picked up instantly.

"Ah ah, no talking Dean that's cheating…only Cas is allowed to talk." Sam scolded, waving a warning finger at his older brother who in turn rolled his eyes dramatically.

John and Sophie watched the scene in front of them with amusement written all over their faces.

Dean used his crotch and the rest of his upper body to bend Cas over slightly. Dean followed the body with his own, effectively leaning over Cas' back and began to move Cas' arms in the correct action, bending them up and pushing them down until straight.

Cas knew he was blushing furiously at this point, he knew Dean was trying to push his buttons and his head was whirling with frustration and panic at doing such risqué things in front of their family. Thankfully the family just looked amused at the boys' failing attempt to make a perfect action, but it didn't stop the beads of sweat now rolling down Cas' forehead or neck, or the twitch in his pants as he felt Dean pressing insistently into his ass.

*Concentrate on the game, the game, just think of the game. What action is Dean making with your hands…oh God Dean…No, keep focused on the game.*

Cas' thoughts raced through his mind, trying to break through his horny teenage boy brain and concentrate on the God damn game.

"Time's running out guys, 15 seconds left." Sam stated holding the timer.

"Come on Cas!" Dean encouraged, still repeating the action on Cas' arms.

Castiel snapped back to reality at the Winchesters' voice and looked down at his arms, trying to form a coherent thought and realise what it was Dean was trying to achieve.

"Ummm…is it…"

Cas stuttered, his brain clouding over as Dean pressed against his ass roughly, pulling and pushing on his arms harder in encouragement as their time was running out.

"…d-d-digging" He finally managed to breathe out and heard Sam yell time.

"Finally" Dean cried out, completely letting go of his blushing step brother and returning to his seat, happily moving their piece in the game further up the board.

"Jeez Cas you're supposed to be the smart one, how did that take you so long?" Sam huffed and pulled out the next playing card.

Cas slowly sat back in his seat, he knew the whole situation was probably a lot more intense in his mind than to prying eyes but he also knew Dean had totally played him on purpose and when he glanced over to the older Winchester brother, the wink and the smirk confirmed Cas' suspicions.

Dean pretty much expected the kick to his shin under the table and winced in pain, now glaring at a satisfied Castiel.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Later on that night, John decided to take Sophie out for dinner as a treat, leaving the brothers' to a night in with a take away and a movie.

The lights were down except for the dim glow of the TV, Sam sat on the floor crossed legged with a bowl of popcorn in his lap and staring intently at the TV in front of him.

Dean and Cas sat side by side on the uncomfortable, patterned couch, their thighs pressed up firmly against each other and leaving no personal space between them. Of course Sam was too engrossed in the TV to notice how closely his older brothers were currently sat.

Cas turned his head to smile at Dean under the dim lighting of the TV and Dean grinned in return, snaking his hand over Cas' to hold on tightly, entwining their fingers together between their bodies.

With a final smile, they both turned their attention back to the movie.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Sam had insisted on staying up once the movie had finished, Dean sighed in frustration and tried to prompt Sammy to go to bed so he could get some alone time with Cas…of course he didn't say that out loud.

In the end it was another movie that did it.

Dean put on 'Friday the 13th' with a smile, settling back into the couch and watched as Sam's determined attitude faded about 20 minutes into the movie. It all got too scary for the 14 year old who Dean knew despised horror movies and Sam finally fumbled out an excuse about suddenly being tired, scrambling off to the bedroom.

As soon as they heard Sam finish up in the bathroom and close the bedroom door behind him, Castiel and Dean were on each other in seconds, devouring each other's mouths.

Dean moaned quietly into Cas' mouth as their tongues tangled together and his worked up younger step brother practically crawled into his lap, running his fingers through Dean's short hair.

Cas pulled back from their breathless kissing and smiled down at Dean.

"I thought he would never leave." Cas muttered before crashing his lips down onto Dean's once more and pushing determined hands up under the fabric of Dean's t-shirt.

Dean moaned again, raking his own blunt fingernails along Cas' back as his own hands wormed their way under his step brother's t-shirt and dug into the tender skin, sending shivers down Cas' spine.

Cas moaned a little too loudly as he broke away from Dean's mouth and the Winchester punished his loud noises by pulling on Cas' thick black hair, tugging his head backwards to which the younger boy let out another broken moan and Dean smirked, sucking insistently at the skin on Cas' bared neck.

"Ummphh Dean." Cas whispered breathlessly, now fisting his hands in Dean's t-shirt.

Dean smirked and pulled Cas back into a passionate kiss, pouring his heart and soul into Castiel, as their hips rubbed furiously together creating much needed friction.

The boys spent the next 10 minutes rutting against one another, leaving whispered broken moans in each other's ears and kissing fiercely.

Finally their orgasms caught up to them both after slow but hot dry humping on the sofa and they both came with a shudder in their pants, their make out session finally slowing down into sweet, soft and lazy kisses.

They hummed in content, before rushing off to the bathroom in turn to get cleaned up and returned to the sofa, Cas curling up against Dean.

Dean stared at the TV, not really paying much attention to the movie that was still flickering away on the screen. He had one arm wrapped tightly around Cas, his hand subconsciously rubbing Cas' side and hip.

Cas had his legs up on the sofa, curled in on himself with an arm securely around Dean's waist and head rested on his older step brother's shoulder, thick black hair tickling Dean's chin.

"Dean…"

"Yeah baby?"

"Do you think it will always be this way?" Cas enquired, still blankly staring at the TV.

Dean frowned in confusion and pulled his head back slightly to look down at Cas, before returning to his current position.

"Do I think WHAT will always be this way?" He asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"Us…sneaking around like this." Cas stated.

"No, not always…" Dean said with a sigh.

Cas sighed in return, unsure of Dean's promise and starting picking at the hem of Dean's t-shirt in contemplation.

"…When we have our own place, we can do this all the time." Dean finished, kissing the top of Cas' head.

Castiel sat up, surprised blue eyes meeting with Dean's and tightening his hold around Dean's waist.

"You…you think about that stuff?" Cas asked curiously with a small smile.

"Of course I do, all the time. We're gonna live great lives Cas…"

"What will our lives be like Dean?" Cas sighed happily and settled back against Dean, waiting for Dean's secret dream of a happy life to be unveiled.

"…Well we're gonna graduate high school and go to college together. You're gonna get the best grades, go on to have an amazing career doing whatever it is you decide to do and I'm gonna…well I dunno what I'm gonna do yet, but it will be awesome…" Dean said with a chuckle, pulling Cas closer against him and smiling when he looked down to see Cas watching him intently with a small smile, like a kid hearing a bedtime story.

"…one day we will have our own house or a super cool apartment."

"Can we have a cat?" Cas interrupted with a grin on his face and biting his lip.

"Hell yeah…we can have a cat and two dogs, maybe some goldfish…whatever you want. We will have this awesome kitchen where you can cook me dinner…" Dean said with a smirk, earning a light slap on the stomach from Cas.

"Hey, I'm no domesticated housewife." Cas scolded, amusement still hidden behind his firm voice.

"…Of course, I meant a kitchen where we could cook each other dinner." Dean chuckled.

"What else?"

"Maybe one day, we could get married…"

Cas' eyes went comically wide and he stared in awe at Dean, snuggling closer to his step brother.

"…yeah married. That would be awesome, we could do this every night, I could kiss you whenever I wanted and we could have sex in every room of the God damn house…loudly…all day, every day if we wanted to. No sneaking around and maybe Sam could be my best man at the wedding, your Mom could give you away and it would be the best day of our lives."

Dean felt tears welling up behind his eyes, as girly as it sounded coming from his own mouth, Dean knew that is exactly what he wanted for them both and he wanted to make it happen so badly for Castiel.

He turned to see tears rolling down Cas' cheeks and smiled at his step brother, cradling his face with both hands and kissing the tears away.

"Do you really think we could have all that?" Cas asked hopefully, doubt still knocking at the back of his mind.

"We WILL have all of that and more, I promise you Cas. I'm never leaving you…when it comes down to the crunch you're not alone, we have each other to get through the bad times, I won't let anyone tear us apart, ok?" Dean re-assured with what he hoped was a firm smile, doubt also playing around in his own head like a broken record.

Castiel nodded, leaning in to kiss Dean softly on the lips, before pulling away and curling back up against his step brother.

"I love you Dean."

"Yeah, love you too." Dean mumbled into Cas' soft hair as he kissed the top of his head.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The next morning the family took advantage of the sun making a re-appearance and walked into town to get some breakfast together.

John and Sophie stood in the doorway of the busy diner, waiting for a waitress to greet them and find them all a seat. Sam stood rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet in boredom, momentarily distracted by a group of kids around his own age, one cute blonde girl in particular who was waving at him shyly. Sam blushed, ducking his head in embarrassment but smiling none the less.

John chuckled at Sam's shy behaviour and playfully nudged him; he knew Sam was going to be a heartbreaker as he got older, hell he already was with his boyish good looks and his freakishly increasing height.

Dean and Cas stood behind their family, currently caught up in their own game of playful nudging. Both boys smirked at each other, bumping shoulders and laughing when the other stumbled slightly. Dean reached behind Cas and slapped his ass hard, causing his younger brother to jump in shock.

"Dean!" Cas hissed, pushing Dean's shoulder.

The Winchester laughed, before snaking his hand back around Cas and putting his hand in the back pocket of Cas' jeans, squeezing his ass firmly. This time Cas yelped loudly and it caused all three family member's to turn around with curious eyes.

"Sorry Dean made me jump" Cas mumbled embarrassed, while Dean grinned widely his arm perfectly hidden behind Cas' back, as his hand remained in his step brother's back pocket and teasing him endlessly with occasional squeezing and rubbing.

The family shrugged and returned their eyes to the front where the waitress was finally approaching them with menus in her hand.

She started to lead the family into the diner, John led the way and Dean took his hand from Cas' pocket and motioned in front of him.

"After you" He said with a smirk, winking at Cas.

Cas raised an eyebrow, starting to walk ahead of Dean and earning himself another smack on his ass. He turned to glare at his older step brother, but couldn't help the smirk that appeared when he turned back to follow the family.

Once at the table they talked about their vacation so far, they had plans to go bowling and to play some mini golf today but after the day was over they would only have one more full day of their vacation left, which left them all a bit gloomy.

Dean and Castiel especially didn't want to think about their vacation drawing to a close soon, it meant back to reality and unfortunately for Dean, back to exams. They were determined to make the most of their final two days.

While John discussed plans to go fishing tomorrow, Dean and Cas were caught up in a staring competition as they sat opposite each other at the table and spent their remaining time in the diner playing footsy under the table.


	19. Chapter 19

The final day of their vacation has come along a lot sooner than anyone would have liked.

Sophie has decided to spend a full day shopping in town and having some alone time. John on the other hand has proposed a fishing trip down the other end of the lake with his three boys but it is not met with the reaction he had hoped for.

Truth is, Cas hates fishing and he can't quite bring himself to tell his stepdad this fact, so settles for faking ill so he can stay in the cabin. The turn of events comes as a shock to Dean and he feels both obliged to go with his Dad, but really wants to spend their last day with Cas.

"Come on Dean, get your stuff we're gonna head down in 5."

"Ready." Sam chimed, running out of the bedroom with his fishing gear.

John smiled proudly and patted Sam on the back, looking over to Dean who was glancing between his waiting Dad and brother to his 'ill' step brother currently stretched out on the sofa with a blanket resting over him.

"You know, I feel bad leaving Cas alone…especially when he's sick. Maybe I'll just skip the fishing." Dean rushes out, ducking his head not wanting to see the disappointment on his Dad's face.

John sighed loudly, walking over to Dean and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Dean I would really like you to come, we haven't been fishing in years. It used to be a family tradition…"

"I know but Dad, look at him. I can't leave him alone; Sophie has gone into town for the day…he can't be alone when he feels like this. You and Sammy go, we will be fine." Dean tried to explain and watched as his Dad slowly nodded his head.

"Of course, you're right. You will be missed, both of you will. You're a good brother Dean." John said proudly, patting his eldest son on the shoulder.

"Dean you don't have to…" Cas started, feeling guilty for causing the Winchester boy's to split but Dean jumps in and holds a hand up to stop Cas from going any further.

"Its fine, I'll take care of you." Dean said calmly, throwing a subtle wink to his step brother.

"Well then it's settled, come on Sammy we have a 20 minute walk to the other side of the lake." John said, lightly prompting his youngest out of the door.

John and Sam headed out with their fishing equipment in hand, ready for a day out and shouted back to Cas to feel better soon.

"I feel terrible now; you should have gone with your Dad and Sam." Cas said, throwing the blanket off and standing up.

Dean stalked over to Cas and placed both his hands on Cas' cheeks, cupping his face.

"Do not feel terrible, I don't feel terrible. I'm glad you hate fishing and didn't want to go…I'm glad I had the chance to stay here with you. With exams coming up at home, I bet this will be the last time we will have together in a while and I wanna make the most of that, got it?"

Cas felt a smile creeping up and nodded in agreement.

"You're right, so let's make the most of it." Cas said with a smirk, leaning in and leaving trails of torturous, hot, wet kisses up Dean's neck.

Dean shivered with arousal and pulled Cas flush against his body, breathing hotly down his ear in short pants.

"Bedroom. Now." Dean growled, tugging on Cas' hand and pulling him towards the bedroom.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

10 minutes later and Dean had Cas sprawled out, naked and writhing underneath him on the bed.

"Ahhh Dean harder." Cas moaned, gripping Dean's ass hard and pulling him closer, causing Dean to plunge deeper inside his step brother.

"Ohhh fuck Cas, yes yes yes." Dean panted, slamming hard and fast into a moaning Castiel.

Cas clawed helplessly at Dean's back as the bed shook with the force of Dean's hard thrusts, causing the headboard to bang loudly against the wall.

"So close Dean please" Cas begged as Dean took hold of his cock, pumping furiously in time with his thrusts and smirking as Cas cried out as his orgasm crashed through him.

Dean groaned loudly and followed with a cry of Cas' name, emptying himself inside Castiel. Both of them fell silently, Dean's head pressed against Cas' chest and the sound of heavy breathing filled the room.

Until there was suddenly a third, very familiar voice.

"Oh my God"

That was the moment their world came crashing down around them.

The sound of Sam's voice echoed through the bedroom, Dean still buried deep inside Castiel and simultaneously their heads whipped to the side to see Sam in the doorway of the bedroom, a plastic box full of fishing bait now scattered across the floor as he stood in shock.

Tears welled behind Sam's eyes and he raced out of the bedroom.

Dean pulled out of Cas faster than he should have with a wince and threw on his sweat pants, he turned when he felt a hand land on his forearm.

"Dean, this is it…isn't it?" Cas asked with a shaky breath, tears now spilling down his own face.

He stared down at Castiel, not knowing what to say and settled for placing a kiss on his step brother's forehead.

"I'll talk to him." He muttered before racing out of the bedroom and after Sam.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean rushed into the living room to see Sam sitting on the sofa with his head buried in his hands and Dean came to an abrupt halt, glancing around the room and seeing no sign of his Dad.

"Sammy?"

"Don't call me that." Sam hissed, lifting his head to look at Dean with tear filled eyes.

Dean flinched at the tone of Sam's voice, a mixture of anger and upset that he had never heard in his brother before.

"Please just let me explain."

"Explain what Dean? What the hell is there left to explain…I caught you, both of you…doing…I just can't…" Sam rambled, pacing up and down the living room, tears spilling down his face.

"Sam please, just hear me out please."

"YOU ARE SCREWING OUR BROTHER DEAN!" Sam yelled loudly, just as Cas entered the room, arms wrapped tightly around his body and tears streaming down his face.

"STEP brother, he's not blood related."

"Does it even matter Dean? It's still weird! He has still been brought into this family to be like a brother to us and you have both messed everything up."

Dean felt anger, upset and panic building under his skin, frustration now making itself known in the form of his own tears as his younger brother yelled at him.

Cas trembled, leaning against the wall so he didn't topple over and tears flowed freely down his face, not daring to challenge a clearly distressed Sam. The guilt of causing Sam to feel this way and find out like he did, was taking its toll on Castiel as he watched the scene unfold, wanting nothing more than to run into Dean's arms just to be held.

"Look it's more common now for this to happen in a family, you felt a brotherly bond with Cas but I NEVER felt that, I felt this…I can't help it, WE can't help it. Sam you have to understand please…I don't want to lose you over this." Dean said calmly, trying to get through to his brother.

Sam scoffed, his face scrunching up in distaste and stalking towards Dean. He pushed his older brother hard and caused Dean to stumble back in shock.

"Common? You have got to be kidding me…"

"Dammit Sam we love each other! This isn't some silly little game, we have been together for a while and we couldn't say a God damn word about it because we knew this is the reaction we would get. But yeah actually it is pretty common, Cas isn't blood…I don't see why this is SO weird that you can't just be happy for us." Dean ranted angrily.

"You really think Dad will see it that way…or Sophie? You have been lying to everyone for God knows how long."

Dean's eyes widened and he felt his heart speed up in panic, quickly replacing his anger.

Cas froze at the mention of John and his Mom, his own heart pounding at an alarming rate.

"You can't tell them Sam, please don't say anything." Dean begged, lunging towards Sam who quickly jumped backwards out of Dean's reach.

"They have a right to know, I can't lie to them Dean!" Sam cried out, his hands waving around it frustration.

"Please don't tell Dad. Come on Sam, you know how he is; how he will react…he can't know. I'm begging you here, please."

"I need time to think." Sam muttered, before stalking towards the door.

"Sam?" Dean called out, voice trembling.

Sam looked back over his shoulder, staring directly at Dean.

"You have ruined this family…"

He spared a glance over to Cas and fixed him with the same glare, causing Dean to whip around and see Castiel standing there with tears staining his cheeks.

"…both of you." Sam said quietly, before storming out of the cabin.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Sam ran as fast as he could along the embankment, wiping his tears as he moved and finally reached his Dad, who sat patiently on a rock with the fishing equipment and waiting on his son.

"Woah where's the fire son. Did you get your bait?" John asked, looking slightly concerned by Sam's suddenly solemn expression and puffy red eyes.

"No I umm, I thought I had prepared it last night but I must have forgot. Sorry I wasted time." Sam mumbled, ducking his head.

John put a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder.

"No worries, you can borrow mine…you ok boy?"

Sam's head whipped up and looked into his father's concerned eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine, let's just go fishing."

John wasn't convinced but nodded anyway and led Sam further along the embankment so they could settle in for a day of fishing.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean turned to a still trembling Cas, who looked as though his whole world had just fallen apart around him and it had.

He immediately rushed to Cas' side and reached for him, but Cas pulled back.

"It's over isn't it, all of this, us." Cas mumbled with shaky breath, his eyes refusing to meet Dean's.

"What? Of course not, I told you no matter what, I'm not letting anybody tear us apart. We will get through this Cas. Sam will keep quiet, he's a good kid." Dean tried to re-assure his step brother, wanting to badly reach out and hug him but Cas looked incredibly fragile as though he might break down any second.

Castiel let out a bitter laugh, fresh tears now spilling down his face.

"Then what Dean? We continue to sneak around, knowing that at any given time, Sam could spill our dirty little secret? Can we really keep doing this Dean! I feel like my entire world has just gone up in a ball of hell fire."

"Hey we promised no matter what, we would still be together please do not give up on us now Cas, not after everything." Dean pleaded, finally grabbing hold of Cas' arms and forcing his step brother to face him.

Cas shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and pushed Dean away, finally looking into his destroyed eyes.

"If that's how Sam reacted, can you imagine how our parent's will react? We both know that this is it for us, end of the line. No more false promises Dean." Cas mumbled, wiping tears away from his eyes and turning towards the bedroom.

"Castiel please, I love you." Dean begged, tears rolling down his face and dripping off the edge of his chin.

"I just…I need time alone, please Dean." Cas said quickly, before hurrying into the bedroom and locking the door.

Dean felt his legs give way and he crashed to his knees on the solid wooden floor, sobbing hysterically for the first time since his mother's death.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Sam sat silently, staring at the open water in front of him and John felt that ball of concern creeping up again as he glanced over to his unusually quiet son.

"Are you sure you're ok Sam? You can talk to me, whatever it is." John asked, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam sighed, torn between telling his Dad the truth and staying loyal to his brother, who practically raised him alongside his only parent.

"I actually need some advice; well it's for a friend."

John looked unsure but motioned for Sam to continue.

"My friend in school, he called me earlier with a family problem and he isn't sure what to do. You see he found something out, about his ummm…his cousin…it's something that could ruin their family if the secret gets out and he doesn't know if he should tell anyone or just let it continue."

"I suppose it depends what it is? He shouldn't really lie to his family to protect someone else's mistakes Sam."

"I know but he knows that when this comes out, that his family will be torn apart and he doesn't want to be the one responsible for that." Sam explained sadly, his head whirring with confusion.

John frowned, curiosity still playing at the back of his mind but deciding not to push further.

"Well then I suppose, leave that responsibility with the cousin. Look the best advice I could give, is for the boy to follow his heart and do what he thinks is best."

Sam looked up to his Dad with eyes full of sadness and quickly nodded in understanding.

That was all he could do, follow his heart.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean sat at the kitchen table, his head resting against the cold wood and his eyes tightly closed, tears having now dried up.

It had been a good couple of hours since Cas locked himself away and left Dean with his own thoughts, he found no energy to cry anymore.

He had knocked on the bedroom door a couple of times, but got no reply and had since given up.

The sound of the bedroom door unlocking caused Dean's head to whip up from the table and his eyes found sight of Castiel looking more vulnerable than ever, stood in the doorway.

Cas' now dull blue eyes met with Dean's and the older step brother stood up, taking two careful steps forward and coming to a stop.

"Cas?"

Immediately his arms were filled with a sobbing Castiel, who was clinging to Dean and crying openly into his shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his step brothers neck refusing to let go.

Dean sighed a breath of relief and let his own arms encircle Cas' waist, holding him tight.

"I'm so sorry Dean, I'm sorry…I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry…I need you Dean." Cas mumbled between sobs, holding on desperately.

"Shhh It's ok Cas, I'm not going anywhere." Dean whispered in comfort.

His younger step brother finally let go and pulled back, wiping tears from his face. Dean smiled sadly, leaning down to kiss Cas softly on the lips before leading them to the sofa, were they curled up together and waited for the fall out.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean felt a hand shaking his shoulder and he woke up sleepily, realising he and Cas had fallen asleep together on the sofa. He blinked to adjust his vision and caught sight of Sam standing over him, shaking him to wake up.

"Get up Dean, Dad will be in once he's packed the fishing stuff into the shed." Sam said firmly, a hard expression still on his face.

He turned and stalked away from the sofa, not giving Dean a chance to reply.

"Cas, come on get up." Dean said in a rush, pushing at Cas and getting him to sit up.

Cas rubbed his eyes into focus and seen Sam sitting at the kitchen table, he sat up abruptly putting distance between himself and Dean just as John strolled through the door.

Dean quickly looked over to Sam with pleading eyes, hoping he hasn't said anything but Sam gave nothing away.

John turns to Dean and Cas, suddenly breaking out into a grin and they both sigh in relief.

"Hey boys, how you feeling Cas?" John asked, as he took off his coat.

"Fine, better now thank you." Cas mumbled a reply, before mouthing 'thank you' to Sam, who quickly looked away.

"Good cause we're having fish tonight!" John said happily, throwing the box with his catch of the day onto the kitchen table and stalking to the bathroom to shower.

As soon as their Dad was out of the way, Dean rushed over to Sam.

"Thank you so much Sammy, thank you for not telling Dad. We really appreciate it, don't we Cas?"

"More than anything." Cas replied with a firm nod.

Sam rolled his eyes angrily and huffed, abruptly pushed his chair back and knocking it over, before storming off towards the bedroom and slamming the door.

Dean turned to look at Cas, relieved but upset and hoping he had not completely ruined his relationship with his actual brother.


	20. Chapter 20

Dean sat at the dining room table, trying to focus on his studying but found it increasingly difficult.

They had been home a couple of days and the boys were due back in school tomorrow, Sam hadn't spoken a word to Dean or Castiel since they got home. Thankfully the only small mercy was John and Sophie still had no clue what was going on.

Currently Sam was locked away in his bedroom, John was out in the garage and Dean was trying hopelessly to focus on his exams while Cas and Sophie were out grocery shopping.

A knock on the front door startled Dean and he frowned before heading over to answer.

"Winchester! How was the trip?" Jo exclaimed happily as Dean threw open the door.

Dean sighed, not really wanting to face his friend right now but half relieved for the distraction from his other thoughts.

"Yeah it was alright." Dean mumbled, heading for the living room and throwing himself onto the sofa, followed soon after by Jo.

"Just alright…wow not quite the response I was looking for Deano! What's with the sour face?"

"Just got a lot on my mind." He sighed, running a hand over his tired face.

The movement caused Dean's collar on his t-shirt to shift and reveal an underlying, fading hickey that Cas had given him days ago and it didn't go unmissed by Jo.

"Oh my GOD, what the hell is that Winchester? You sly dog" Jo exclaimed loudly, pulling at Dean's collar and fully revealing the mark.

Dean's eyes widened and he slapped Jo's hand away.

"Nothing"

"THAT right there is NOT nothing, that's fresh…come on now, who is the lucky girl then?"

Dean grunted in annoyance, not feeling enough energy to go over this with Jo right now.

"Just leave it Jo."

"Come onnnn tell me, who is she?"

"Nobody"

"Oh well 'nobody' sure has some sucking power, the girl is gifted…who is she?"

"It's not a SHE alright!?" Dean cried out in frustration and his brain suddenly caught up with his mouth, he glanced at a stunned looking Jo.

"It was a guy? Are you telling me you're gay!?" Jo rambled, her mouth still hanging in shock.

*Great, no backing out now* Dean thought inwardly, sighing loudly and bracing himself for the 'coming out of the closet' talk with his friend.

"Yeah it was a guy and yeah I guess I'm gay…or bi. I haven't really stuck a label on it. It doesn't matter." Dean explained in a rush.

"Woah, did not see that coming…but good for you." Jo said with an approving smirk and patting Dean on the shoulder.

"That's it? No big drama?" Dean asked in confusion, expecting a bigger reaction from his friend.

"Nope…only thing I wanna know now is, who did you get the hickey off?" She laughed loudly, pushing Dean playfully.

He shook his head and stood up, suddenly wanting to escape the conversation.

"You don't need to know, he's…he's my boyfriend but you don't know him so..."

"Come on dude, you can't just come out of the closet and reveal you have a secret boyfriend and expect me to just shut up about it!" Jo jumped up excitedly, pushing at Dean.

"You're gay?"

Dean spun around at the sound of his Dad's voice and seen John standing stock still in the doorway, gaping in shock the same way Jo had.

"Jo could you give me and my son a moment please?"

"Sure thing Mr Winchester, Dean I'll see you tomorrow in school…" Jo said with a small smile of encouragement, before leaping forward to give Dean a brief hug.

"…Good luck." She whispered into his ear, before heading out of the family household.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

John and Dean sat silently at the dining room table.

"So you're gay?"

"Yes sir."

"How long have you known?" John enquired calmly and quietly, trying to process the information.

"A while now." Dean mumbled quietly, waiting for John's reaction to come.

"And what…you didn't think to tell me?" John asked, pointedly looking at his son.

Dean raised his head and saw a little bit of hurt hidden beneath his Dad's eyes.

"I thought you would react badly" Dean replied honestly.

"I'm your father, this doesn't change a thing, and I still love you." John said with a smile and placing a hand over his son's where it rested on the table.

"Wow, I just thought…I mean you always said you wanted me to settle down with a beautiful wife, 2.4 kids and a white picket fence...just like the life that you and Mom were building up together. You were relying on me to do all of that."

"And you can still have all of that with a man. It doesn't change a thing, as long as you're happy son."

Dean felt a mix of emotions towards his Dad; first and foremost there was shock, followed by awe and a huge amount of love. Of course all this went hand in hand with the guilt Dean was now feeling for having kept this quiet and an even bigger layer of guilt when the elusive secret boyfriend came up.

"Thanks Dad, you know for being so cool about this." Dean said with a smile.

John reached out and gave his son a manly hug, patting him firmly on the back before pulling away.

"So…I overheard another bit of interesting trivia tonight, you have a boyfriend?" John asked with a smile, his face hoping to learn more.

Dean gulped loudly and started fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat; he was now heading down an icy road that would inevitably lead to a dangerous fall.

"You don't know him, it doesn't matter right now."

"Oh really, cause it sounds like this guy might be important to you."

"He is but…"

"Then I'd love to meet him, you should invite him to dinner some time."

John sat looking hopefully at Dean and his son ducked his head, avoiding eye contact.

"Dean?"

"I'm just not ready for you guys to meet him yet." Dean tried to explain.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth Dean."

Sam stood in the dining room, shifting on his feet and looking between his curious Dad and now panicked brother.

"Sammy just leave it, please" Dean begged.

"Sam knows? Then why can't I know…what's going on Dean?" John asked, his brow now furrowing in confusion and slowly growing tired of secrets.

"You just came out Dean; you can see how cool Dad is with that…why can't you just…"

"I said shut the fuck up Sam." Dean growled, standing up and glaring at his brother.

Sam crossed his arms angrily across his chest.

"Dean! Do not speak to your brother like that…now someone tell me what the hell is going on" John said firmly, standing up beside Dean and looking between his two sons.

"It's Cas!"

Sam cried out, immediately snapping his mouth shut. He heard Dean groan loudly and swear under his breath.

"Wait, what's Cas? What does he have to do with this?" John asked in frustration, aiming his question at Sam.

"I…"

"Tell me right now Sam." John demanded of his youngest, pointing a finger in his direction.

"Cas is Dean's secret boyfriend." Sam rushed out, before stepping backwards until his back hit the wall.

John frowned some more, confusion and anger bubbling beneath the surface as he turned to Dean, who refused to look at his Dad.

"That's ridiculous…right Dean? Tell me this isn't true boy!" John said through gritted teeth, watching as Dean ducked his head.

"I can't." Dean muttered under his breath.

Sam watched as his Dad's face turned from confused to angry in a split second and suddenly Sam had wished he hadn't said a word.

"Go to your room Sam." John hissed.

"But…"

"GO"

John's yelling caused Sam to jump and scatter to the doorway, daring to glance back at Dean who looked betrayed, scared and entirely broken. Sam broke into tears before running up the stairs.

"Care to explain what the hell is going on boy"

Dean winced at his Dad's sour tone and felt a surge of his own anger, determined to fight for him and Cas.

"Sam just told you…Cas is my boyfriend, what else is there to say." Dean said firmly, finally having the courage to create eye contact.

"I think there is a lot to say Dean. How long?"

Dean didn't answer; he just looked back to the floor and took a deep breath.

"HOW LONG DEAN!"

He flinched at the tone and tried to gather his courage back, piecing it together.

"Months, it started weeks after your wedding."

John gaped, running a hand down his face and staring at Dean in shock.

"You have been sneaking around since then? What the HELL Dean..."

He shook his head angrily and paced back and forth.

"…have you…have you slept with him?"

Dean didn't have to reply this time, his face said it all and he turned his back on John.

"JESUS CHRIST DEAN, HE'S YOUR BROTHER!"

John yelled loudly, tugging on Dean's arm to get him to turn around. Dean spun around; a face now filled with anger and felt the need to jump on the defence.

"STEP BROTHER, why do people keep saying it like we're blood…we have not done anything wrong!"

"Well it definitely isn't normal Dean, what the hell are you both thinking! Speaking of wrong…he's underage, you could get jailed for this Dean!"

"Oh please, we have been sleeping together for months…when I was underage too. Why stop now huh?"

John shook his head in disgust and slammed a fist angrily into the wall.

That moment, the front door opened and Sophie walked in with the shopping, Castiel strolling in happily behind her.

"John? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Sophie asked suddenly, seeing the hole in the wall and the Winchester's looking destroyed.

Cas' face immediately dropped and his heart sank, he looked over to Dean who simply nodded to confirm Cas' worst fears.

The younger step brother dropped the bags and ran over to Dean as his Mom watched in confusion.

John caught sight of this and glared angrily in Cas' direction.

"You…you did this to my son!" He hissed, pointing a finger at Cas.

"He didn't do a thing; it was me who started it all. Leave him alone." Dean said defensively, stepping in front of Cas.

"I brought you into MY house as my SON …not so you could bang your new step brother." John cried out, kicking the dining room chair.

Sophie dropped her shopping and gazed worriedly between all of them, feeling her lip quiver at the accusation towards her son.

"Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?" She demanded, her voice shaking.

"Yeah…turns out my son and your son have been screwing for months." John said through gritted teeth and Sophie gaped in horror at the boys.

"Is this true Castiel?"

Cas nodded, feeling tears streaming down his face.

"Yes, but it's not as sordid as HE is making it sound." Cas said quietly, feeling his own anger building up at the harsh words from his supposed Dad.

"This is not happening…this is so wrong, what the hell are you thinking!? You're brothers" Sophie cried out angrily, her own cheeks now stained with tears from the revelation.

"STEP brothers." Cas corrected her firmly and took hold of Dean's hand.

"And we're not just 'screwing'…we love each other." Dean confirmed, entwining their fingers and holding on tighter.

John burst into a bitter, disbelieving laugh.

"LOVE? You have lost it; you're too young to know what real love is. This is two horny teenagers that clearly need some help." John hissed, laughter dying on his lips.

"Don't patronise me Dad, I'm 18 years old and Cas is only a year younger, we're not stupid. We are in love, like it or not and there is not a damn thing you can do about it. You both bought us together, so if you really need someone to blame here…then take a long hard look in the mirror." Dean bit back, storming out of the dining room and dragging Cas behind him.

John and Sophie were left stunned and angry, as their son's raced upstairs.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean pulled Cas into his room and locked the door, immediately dragging his step brother into a tight hug.

"What happened?" Cas asked quietly, sniffling against Dean's shoulder.

"Sam happened; I can't believe he told Dad." Dean hissed angrily.

Cas pulled back in shock, he actually started to believe that Sam wouldn't say anything and he felt entirely betrayed.

"What are we going to do?"

Dean shrugged, pulling Cas down onto the bed and curling up next to him, embracing each other tightly.

"I dunno, maybe we could go somewhere…all I know is, I am not losing you. All those promises I made back at the cabin, I meant every word and I'll make that happen for us. Nobody is going to come between us Cas." Dean said confidently, kissing the top of Cas' head.

"As long as we have each other, they can't break us." Cas nodded in agreement, realising in this moment that he would do anything for Dean and anything to be with Dean, even if it meant losing his entire family. All he needed was Dean.

Cas fell asleep in Dean's arms that night, with a hearts full of hope and determination.


	21. Chapter 21

A soft knock descended on Dean's bedroom door at exactly 11:45pm.

Cas was first to wake, rubbing his eyes slowly and glancing at his surroundings before looking up to a still sound asleep Dean. He glanced at the clock, remembering they had fallen asleep earlier that evening and suddenly the memories came rushing back, they had been found out.

He groaned to himself, eyes still sore from crying earlier and threw an arm across his face in exhaustion.

The soft knock came again and Cas raised an eyebrow, thinking he must have dreamt the sound first time.

The younger boy debated about unlocking the bedroom door, be it Sam, John or even his Mom, none of them would be in a good mood and he didn't know if he wanted to face them alone. He looked over to his older step brother and sighed, deciding to grow a pair and face up to whomever it was on the other side of the door, Dean had fought their corner enough tonight and now it was Castiel's turn.

He unlocked the door and opened it slowly to reveal his Mom on the other side. Sophie's eyes were red, puffy and it was clear to Cas that she had been crying. He felt a momentary stab of guilt for being the cause, but quickly collected himself together and remembered exactly what he was fighting for.

"Cas sweetie, can we talk?" Sophie said with a sniffle and a small, sad smile.

Castiel eyed her warily, his stomach jolted and heart pounded, he never thought in a million years he would be untrusting of his own mother.

"Can we talk tomorrow, when Dean is awake?" Cas said quietly.

"I was kind of hoping we could discuss this without Dean, please just come downstairs sweetheart. I really want to work things out with you." Sophie pleaded, reaching out for her son, who quickly pulled back.

Cas nodded grimly, finally coming out of the bedroom and silently closing the door behind him.

He followed his Mom down the stairs, his thoughts pounding loudly in his head and threatening the biggest headache. Cas and his Mom had always been close, they had grown even closer when his Dad had died and it saddened Cas that his Mom couldn't understand his love for Dean.

All Castiel wanted was support from the only lady in his life and what he had witnessed earlier than night, that look of disgust was almost enough to break him. As he followed Sophie into the hallway downstairs, Cas hoped and prayed she wanted to show her support for both him and Dean.

What he witnessed as he rounded the corner told him otherwise.

"What's going on?" Cas stuttered out.

Cas' blue eyes met with a pair of old grey ones that he identified as his strict, incredibly religious uncle Zachariah's and he looked far from impressed. Cas' eyes darted down to the bag which his uncle held tightly…his bag.

"It's only for a little while sweetie, just to give yourself some time to think things through. Uncle Zach has agreed to let you stay with him for a little while." Sophie explained with a tear in her eye.

"What? I don't need to go anywhere…you lied to me!" Cas cried out, backing away from his Mom and Uncle.

"Please Cas hunny, this is for the best. I will come and see you every day, we will bring Sam too. It's just so you and Dean realise that…"

"Realise what exactly? I love him, sending me away will never change that." Cas spat out.

Zachariah rolled his eyes dramatically and took hold of Cas' arm.

"Come now Castiel, we must leave. It's late, I have your things." Zachariah said coldly, practically dragging Cas to the front door.

Sophie sobbed hopelessly, her own heart pounding to the extreme and hoping she had done the right thing splitting them up for a while.

"Let go of me…" Cas said struggling, tears now falling down his cheeks at a rapid pace.

"…DEAN!" He cried out loudly up the stairs.

Almost immediately Dean was flying down the stairs to the sound of Cas' broken voice and he came to a stop at the bottom. Upon seeing the obvious situation, Dean's stomach lurched and his anger reached boiling point.

"DEAN!" Cas cried out again, managing to pull himself free and latch onto his step brother.

He gathered a sobbing Castiel into his arms and his own tears threatened to burst free.

"Castiel we have to go now." Zachariah prompted.

"And who the hell are you, huh?" Dean yelled at the stranger in his house, cradling Cas closer.

"This is your solution? Really…pulling us apart, sending your own SON away? How the hell can you live with yourself?" Dean snarled at Sophie, his tears finally springing free.

The yelling pulled Sam and John's attention from upstairs, they rushed down. Sam came to a stop midway down the staircase and sat down on the step as he watched the scene unfold. Once he realised the severity of what was happening, Sam started to cry silently and pulled his knees to his chest in comfort.

John wrenched Dean backwards and pulled him away from Cas, Zachariah was quick to reclaim his hold on his Nephew's arm.

"Dean, let him go." John shouted, holding his son back.

"Get the hell off me…Cas!" Dean struggled, trying to break from his father's grip and watched helplessly as Castiel got dragged towards the door.

Finally Dean broke free and fled to Castiel, pulling his step brother from his Uncle's hold. They both looked around to their family members, Dean knew they were determined to see this through but he wasn't about to give up on Cas.

Dean turned towards Cas, tears blurring his vision and cupped Cas' face in both hands.

"Cas baby…I love you ok, never forget that…"

"No Dean, I'm not going." Cas cried out, fisting his hands in Dean's t-shirt.

"…shh shh, it's ok Cas, remember what I said? We will make that happen; I swear to God I will find you, whatever it takes. Just stay strong for me, ok?" Dean pleaded with his step brother; tears flowing freely down each other's already tear stained cheeks.

Cas was trembling in his arms, but nodded none the less. He trusted Dean more than anything and if Cas knew him as well as he thought, Dean would find him sooner rather than later.

"I love you." Cas mumbled, wrapping his arms around Dean's waist and burying his head against his step brother's neck, inhaling his scent for the final time.

"I love you too." Dean muttered back, pulling Cas back and placing a kiss on his forehead.

Sam watched the scene from his spot on the stairs, tears rolling down his face and wondering what the hell he had done; his family was practically falling apart in front of his eyes.

Sophie sobbed into John's shoulder, not wanting to see her Son leave and John held her closely, trying to re-assure her it was for the best.

Cas sobbed, his lip trembling and it took all his willpower to pull away from Dean, finally allowing himself to be pulled outside by his Uncle.

"I'll see you soon Cas, I promise." Dean called out after him, tears streaming down his face.

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Sophie rushed out to Zachariah's car to say goodbye to her son, she placed a hand on Cas' shoulder and he stiffened in response, slowly turning to face his Mom.

"This isn't forever I promise. I will be along to see you tomorrow, ok?"

Cas glared at his mum, gulping loudly and shaking her hand from his shoulder before getting into the car.

Sophie felt a sharp stab of pain radiate through her body and she held a hand against her mouth to cover the sob that escaped.

In that single cold moment, she felt as though she had lost her son for good.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Inside the house another argument was forming upon Cas' departure and Dean had reached his limit.

"This is for the best Dean, Sophie and I decided…"

"OHHH of course, you and Sophie decided…well screw me and Cas, it's not like it's us in this situation right? God forbid that WE make our OWN decisions…" Dean spat out sarcastically and twisting his face into a bitter smile.

"…I'm 18 years old Dad, when are you gonna let me make my own choices in life?"

"You make bad choices Dean, choosing Castiel…"

"Choosing Castiel was the best fucking decision I have ever made. I don't give a fuck what people think, if they think it's weird or twisted…because you know what, I LOVE him and that's all that matters to me." Dean argued, standing his ground.

John shook his head sadly.

"I wish you would stop using that word Dean."

"What word? Love? Why the hell should I? It's true…I love Cas and separating us will not change that…"

Dean stepped forward and met with his father's eyes, whispering his next words harshly.

"I hate you."

John sucked in a breath and watched as Dean rushed past Sam, fleeing up the stairs.

He was left alone in the hallway to wonder if they had made the right decision.

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Before Dean reached his bedroom, he heard footsteps running after him and whirled around, coming face to face with a tearful Sam.

"Dean, I'm so sorry…I didn't think they would send Cas away." He sniffled, making a grab for his brother's arm.

Dean quickly pulled away and glared at Sam, heading for his bedroom door.

"Dean, please!" Sam cried out, rushing after his big brother.

He turned around, lips turning up into a cruel snarl and a fresh set of tears now welling behind his eyes.

"I will never forgive you for this." Dean hissed, slamming his bedroom door shut in Sam's face.

Sam broke into a fit of sobs, before locking himself away in his room.

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Dean collapsed on his bed; he was drained, emotional and knew he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully again until he found Cas.

He wasn't about to let his family split them up, he made promises to Castiel and he intended on following them through. Dean was determined to find out where Zachariah lived and hunt Cas down.

Dean would take down Lucifer himself to reach his step brother.


	22. Chapter 22

The following morning, Dean was tearing his room apart looking for his cell phone frantically. He yelled in frustration, kicking the bed frame and storming down the stairs with his school bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Where the hell is my cell phone?" Dean asked coldly as he marched into the kitchen.

Sam, John and Sophie all looked up from their breakfast, shocked that Dean was even speaking to them.

"It's gone, I don't want you in contact with Castiel, so here…" John said firmly, throwing a phone to Dean who caught it between his hands.

"…it's my old phone; you can use that for now." John explained, continuing to eat his breakfast and determined to stand his ground against his eldest son.

Dean's blood boiled, he half expected his Dad had probably taken his phone after last night but it didn't stop him feeling any less angry.

He threw the phone across the kitchen, hitting the wall and shattering apart, falling to the ground. Dean smiled bitterly and stormed out of the kitchen, heading straight for the front door.

Sophie looked over to her husband expecting him to explode, Sam also waiting with baited breath but John simply tightened his jaw and swallowed loudly, before picking up the remains of the phone, tossing them aside. They continued to eat their breakfast in silent, as the roar of the impala sounded from outside and Dean drove to school alone.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean parked up outside school, part of him hoping that Castiel would be here but he was beginning to doubt that his parent's would make it that easy.

His bad mood was intact and not going anywhere, as he marched with determination into the school.

He headed for his locker, looking around frantically on his way and even making a detour past Cas' locker to see if he could find his step brother.

As Dean reached his own locker with a heavy sigh, he threw it open and tossed his bag inside. Jo spotted Dean and raced towards him with a huge grin on her face.

"So it's all out in the open then, how did he take it?" She said with a hopeful smile.

Dean gritted his teeth, not bothering to face Jo and continued to throw things in his locker.

"What?" He mumbled.

"Your Dad, the whole…you being Gay thing. How did he take it?" She asked again, with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh yeah that was awesome, he played the supportive, doting Dad…I'm here for you son blah freakin' blah." Dean ranted, slamming his locker shut and finally facing Jo with an ice cold stare.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, before frowning slowly in confusion at Dean's reaction.

"Soooo…why the sour face?"

"Just leave it alone Jo." Dean muttered, pushing past his friend.

"Wait Dean, what's going on?"

She grabbed his arm and he spun around quickly, making her jump back in shock.

"I SAID LEAVE IT THE FUCK ALONE" Dean yelled loudly, shaking from her grip and punching the wall next to him, leaving a rather impressive crack behind.

He glanced down at his bloody knuckles and could feel the tears welling back up behind his eyelids.

Jo's eyes were widened in shock as she looked at Dean's hand.

"Do…have you seen Cas?" Dean asked quietly, not looking up at his friend.

"W-what?" Jo stammered, still in shock and a little frightened by Dean's behaviour.

"Have you seen Castiel, yes or no?" Dean asked again, much louder and harsher.

"No I haven't."

"Then you're no good to me right now." Dean muttered, before turning on his feet and marching off down the school corridor, leaving a stunned Jo behind.

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The school day resulted in Dean storming out of three different classrooms and spending most of his time sitting in the bleachers, staring into space.

It was the end of the day already and Dean did not want to go home, he had questioned almost everybody in school to ask if they knew Cas' whereabouts and even tried his luck with a few teachers who may know something…they didn't.

Jo and Gabriel went in search of Dean once the final bell sounded and Gabe spotted him sitting up in the bleachers, giving Jo a gentle nudge and nodding in their friend's direction.

The pair cautiously made their way up to Dean and sat down silently on either side of him. Jo glanced over to Gabe when Dean didn't even acknowledge their presence, sighing heavily.

"Ok cut the crap Winchester, I've had enough of your bad mood today. You gonna tell us what's going on?" Jo demanded.

Dean finally met with Jo's demanding stare and his shoulder's slumped in defeat, his body and mind exhausted from all the arguing over the past few days.

"Fine, you may as well know…the 'secret boyfriend' I told you about?" Dean started and Gabe's mouth fell open at the word boyfriend, but Jo shot him a look that said 'I'll fill you in later' and Gabriel's mouth snapped shut.

"Yeah?" Jo prompted, waiting with baited breath.

"It's Castiel…we've been seeing each other for months, not long after Dad and Sophie's wedding. I love him more than anything…Sam caught us having sex, he spilled everything to Dad and now they hate us. They have sent Cas away to live with his Uncle…who lives God knows where and I don't know when I'll be able to find him."

Dean rambled quickly, spilling his darkest secrets in one big rant and finished with a heavy sigh of relief, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

"Oh my God" Gabriel gasped loudly in shock, his eyes wide and stunned.

"Wow…why the hell didn't you tell me Dean?"

Dean's head shot up and he looked over to Jo in surprise, the question that was uttered so softly from his friend was NOT the reaction he thought he would get.

"I was scared, we didn't want anybody to find out…but I knew…we knew, that they would eventually but I guess we were holding off for as long as possible, just enjoying the time we had before the fallout."

"Sure it's a little odd…maybe a little frowned upon but I would never have fallen out with you over this, Cas isn't even your blood brother…it's not THAT weird! Hell…it makes sense now! Why he didn't feel like a brother to you but you guys were so close and God the amount of times I seen you two being overly affectionate, something should have set off my gaydar then! As long as you guys are happy together then what's the big deal?"

Dean gaped in surprise at Jo and immediately pulled her into a hug; she chuckled at the rare contact and hugged her friend back, before moving away.

"I get why your family reacted badly, it's probably a shock…maybe they will come around?" Jo said hopefully, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder.

He shook his head sadly, daring at glance over to a still stunned looking Gabriel.

"Nah, you should have seen their faces Jo. They sent Cas away…his own Mom sent him away. I can never forgive them, any of them." Dean mumbled, burying his face in both hands.

"Well then I guess…if you wanna be with Cas, then you have to make it happen. We will help you find him. Won't we Gabe?" Jo said with a smile, as Dean raised his head with renewed hope.

Gabriel was snapped out of his shock and patted Dean on his shoulder, nodding enthusiastically.

"Sure man, I mean whatever floats your boat and all that. We will help you find Castiel." He said with a grin.

"Thanks guys…for you know, being so cool about all of this. Guess I know who my friends are huh?" Dean said with a small smile, the first one in days.

"Don't sweat it Winchester, that's what friends are for." Jo grinned, punching Dean playfully on the arm as they all stood up and made their way towards the school car park.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean comes home to an empty house, he knows his Dad is back in work but more than likely due home soon and Sam is most probably staying for after school clubs.

He immediately starts searching the house for any address books or scraps of paper with Zachariah's address on it.

As Dean is searching through Sophie's drawers in their bedroom, he hears a creak in the doorway and spins around to find Sophie stood there.

"Dean! How dare you go through my things" Sophie scolds, surging forward and wrenching a small diary from Dean's hands.

"Where is Cas?" Dean ignores her ramblings and asks a straight forward question as calmly as he can.

"I can't tell you that right now, I've just got back from seeing him. He's going to be fine." She said, throwing the diary on the bed.

"Bullshit…he's not fine and I want to see him." Dean hissed.

"You can't see him; I won't tell you where he is Dean, so you may as well stop asking." Sophie said firmly, standing up to her step son.

Dean pushed past Sophie and headed for the door, stopping as he reached it as though changing his mind and turning on the balls of his feet, storming back over to Sophie with renewed anger.

"You know what…its one thing to send your son away but to keep him out of school too? What kind of mother does that make you huh? Just because you can't stand for him to be anywhere near me!" Dean yelled, causing Sophie to jump and back away.

John chose that moment to come home and heard the yelling, darting upstairs and into the bedroom.

"DEAN! Don't you dare talk to her that way." He yelled back loudly, rushing to Sophie's side.

"Why the hell not! She's not my Mom…she's not much of a Mom to Cas either." Dean yelled, storming out of the bedroom.

John hugged Sophie as she sobbed openly, his head pounding wildly.

They heard the sound of Dean's door slamming shut and the lock clicking into place.

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Later that evening, Sam knocked on Dean's door to let him know dinner was ready but when he was able to push it open, he was surprised to find an empty bedroom.

He rushed down to tell his Dad but John and Sophie both seemed uninterested, figuring Dean had probably gone out to clear his head. Sam sighed and sat down at the dinner table.

After they finished dinner and were all settled in the living room, Sam heard the front door open and Dean walked in carrying a takeout bag. John and Sophie glanced over but didn't move before returning their attention to the TV and Sam rushed into the hallway over to Dean.

"Dean I was worried about you, where did you go?"

His older brother glared at him, before fleeing upstairs with his takeout bag in hand and Sam decided to follow, he didn't like Dean being angry with him and he was determined to save their relationship.

"Back off, Sam." Dean grumbled as he heard footsteps behind him and hastily locked himself away again.

Sam sighed heavily, spinning on his feet as heard footsteps behind him and came face to face with his Dad.

"Sammy?" John asked in concern, seeing his youngest looking distressed.

"I just want everything to go back to normal." Sam cried out, rushing into his own bedroom.

John followed him, knocking on the door cautiously before entering and finding Sam blubbering away against his pillow.

"Oh Sammy, Dean will come around eventually. You two have always been close but with everything that's happened lately he just needs time." John re-assured his son.

Dean had heard the exchange outside his door and couldn't help but listen in. He slipped out of his bedroom silently and leant against the wall outside Sam's room, listening to the conversation between his Dad and Brother.

"He hates me Dad…Dean hates me, he hates all of us…"

"Sam he doesn't hate us." John sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"…he does and you know what? I don't blame him one bit. I should never have opened my big mouth." Sam said firmly, sitting up and looking over at his Dad.

"Don't be ridiculous Sam; I'm glad you told me. This thing had gone on long enough and who knows when we would have found out."

Sam sighed and ducked his head, staring down at the carpet.

"Maybe that would have been better. When I found out about Dean and Cas…I was so shocked, I didn't understand what was happening…but I think they're telling the truth…they're in love Dad."

"Don't start Sammy…not you as well." John groaned in frustration.

"It's true Dad…you seen them last night…they were so broken! Why did you have to split them up?"

"Because Sam, you're too young to understand but it's for the best…it's in their best interest."

Dean gritted his teeth in anger, listening to his father's protests about what's for the best again and restraining himself from bursting into Sam's bedroom.

"Dean was right; it's not that uncommon you know! I looked it up on the internet…I think…I think I'm ok with it...Dean and Cas…ok it's a little weird but we will get over it! Who cares what anyone else thinks."

"You can't be serious Sam. I'm not listening to this." John yelled, standing up to pace his youngest son's room in frustration.

"That's your problem Dad…you don't listen…you never listen. Isn't the only important thing here that Dean is happy? Nothing else should matter, if you keep pushing them apart, then you're going to push them away for good. I've seen Dean get passionate about what he loves and you should know him well enough by now to know he will see this through. Do you really want to lose Dean Altogether Dad? I know I don't…do you want to lose Cas too? Do you want Sophie to lose Cas? Because that's what is going to happen…please Dad, just consider it for a moment. Would it really be that terrible?"

Sam stood his ground firmly and John couldn't help but feel proud of his 14 year old for doing exactly that, whether he agreed or not.

"Look Sammy, you're a good kid…wise for a kid of your age but I just can't ok. This isn't up for discussion anymore." John said firmly, throwing his son a small, sad smile and leaving the room.

John came face to face with Dean outside of Sam's room, his oldest son had tears streaming down his face as he looked his Dad in the eye and John found he couldn't look at him in that moment, he looked distraught.

Dean turned away and John headed back downstairs.

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A little while later, a quiet knock sounded on Sam's door and he sat up in confusion, murmuring for whoever it was to come in.

Dean entered Sam's room, closing the door tightly behind him and rested back against it with a sigh. Sam looked a little taken back that Dean was even here and was about to speak, but his older brother held a hand up to silence him.

"Just please…just let me speak Sammy ok?"

Sam nodded and eyed Dean cautiously.

"I heard what you said to Dad earlier…I know things have been crappy between us lately but I just wanted to thank you, for sticking up for me and Cas." Dean said firmly but quietly, refusing to look at his younger brother.

Sam gaped in surprise.

"You're welcome, I meant it Dean. I'm so sorry for everything."

Dean nodded, a huff of humourless laughter leaving his lips.

"I know you are. There isn't a bad bone in your body and you thought you were doing the right thing, I get that. Doesn't mean you're forgiven but after hearing you stand up to Dad like that…well…I guess it's a step in the right direction."

A small, tight lipped smile emerged on Sam's face and he finally felt hopeful that Dean would forgive him.

"If I can do anything to help find Cas, if or when I find out where he is…I'll let you know."

Dean finally brought his head up to look at Sam and smiled in his direction.

"Thanks Sam, I really appreciate that."

He opened Sam's bedroom door, but turned around one last time to look at his brother.

"You're really ok with the idea of me and Cas?"

"Sure, it will be odd…but as long as you're both happy right?" Sam said with a small smile.

"Right." Dean nodded his head in agreement and headed out of the door.

Sam let out a small sigh of relief and collapsed back onto his bed. He was well on his way to forgiveness and a large part of him wanted everything to work out for Dean and Cas, he could only hope and pray that his parent's would see sense.


	23. Chapter 23

"Alright pipsqueak what do you know?" Jo said, pinning a shaking Garth against his locker.

"Come on Jo, leave the kid alone…he's gonna wet his pants" Gabriel said with a roll of his eyes and sucking harshly on his lollipop.

"No, I heard him mention Cas earlier and Dean's been trying to find him for 3 days now…so if you know anything about where Castiel is, then spill"

Garth stared wide eyed and innocent at Jo, she shook him one final time and he crumbled.

"Ok, ok…I know where Cas is but please just put me down." He begged.

Jo let go of Cas' friend and took a step back, crossing her arms.

"Well?"

"I swore I wouldn't tell…Cas' mom called my mom and asked if I could take Cas' school work to his Uncle's place." Garth explained, holding his hands up in defence against Jo.

"And where would that be?" Jo pushed.

"I wouldn't fuck with her when she's angry dude." Gabriel insisted with a pop of his candy.

Garth looked back to a now smirking Jo and panicked.

"His Uncle lives on the corner of Hell pass, the big house with the archway outside?"

"I know the place, thanks Garth." Jo said, turning to Gabriel with a triumphant grin.

"Can I go now?" Garth asked cautiously over Jo's shoulder.

"You can go…now." Jo said with a raised eyebrow.

She chuckled as Garth scrambled off down the school corridor and turned back to Gabriel.

"Come on, we gotta find Dean."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean had spent the past three days trying every possible way to contact or find out where Cas was. He even tried to follow Sophie one night, believing she was going to see Cas but she had found out Dean was following and took a detour to the grocery store.

Sam still hadn't been taken to see Castiel, he begged Sophie to see him and said he missed his step brother but after his little outburst the other night, John was suspicious of Sam telling Dean where Cas was so the younger Winchester was told no, for now.

It was starting to weigh Dean down but he was determined to find his step brother, come hell or high water.

Dean was currently staring blankly at his locker, his thoughts once again drifting to Castiel and his studying was also suffering as a result, which didn't bode well for his upcoming exams.

"Yo Winchester…do I got news for you." Jo yelled loudly down the school corridor at Dean.

He immediately turned to see Jo and Gabe running down the hallway, being scolded by a teacher on their way but it didn't seem to stop their determination.

"We know where Cas is." Jo said with a grin, handing Dean a piece of paper with Zachariah's address.

A bright grin lit up Dean's face, almost splitting it in two. He kissed Jo on the cheek and darted towards to School entrance.

"Wait, Dean where are you going? We have class" Gabe yelled after him.

"I'm going to see Cas." He yelled back, his feet taking him at lightning speed out of the door and towards his impala.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean drove at a frightening speed to reach Zachariah's house, he parked the impala around the corner and raced towards the house on foot.

As he reached the archway entrance, he noticed Zachariah's car on the driveway and figured he must be home, so he circled the back of the house looking for a way to sneak in. Dean glanced up at the bedroom windows, only to catch sight of a mop of very familiar black hair and Dean's heart almost stopped at the glimpse of his step brother.

He grinned widely, looking around for something to get Cas' attention and opted for a pebble on the ground by his feet.

Dean eyed the pebble for a moment and raised his eyebrow.

"How very cheesy, high school, rom-com of me." He mumbled to himself, before tossing the rock high and hitting the bedroom window.

Cas jumped at the sound against his temporary bedroom window and opened it carefully.

He glanced down to see Dean stood at the bottom and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Cas grinned, feeling tears prickling the back of his eyes.

"I'm coming up." Dean called up in a hushed tone.

"Be careful Dean." Cas said in concern, as he watched his step brother climb the drain pipe like Spiderman to reach his window and climb through.

Cas quickly ran to his bedroom door and locked it, before rushing back to the window in time to help Dean climb through.

As soon as Dean was in the room, Castiel threw himself at his step brother, arms wrapping securely around his neck and resting his head against Dean's.

Dean chuckled and wrapped his arms around Cas' waist, pulling him close, showering his face with kisses.

"Baby I missed you so much." Dean murmured between kisses, holding Cas tightly.

Cas pulled Dean in for a firm kiss on the lips, relishing in the familiarity and taste of his step brother.

"You found me" Cas muttered against his lips, smiling in relief.

"Sorry it took so long, I couldn't track you down for days." Dean muttered in return, diving back in to kiss Cas again.

Cas moaned into the kiss before pulling back and shaking his head.

"I tried to contact you but Mom took my phone."

"Yeah Dad took mine too." Dean said with a sigh, pulling Cas over to the bed and they both sat on the edge, hands joined together.

"What are we gonna do Dean?" Cas asked with a sigh, resting his head against Dean's shoulder.

"We have Sam on side and Jo…and Gabe weirdly. They support us, they're routing for us to be together."

"Sam? Since when?" Cas asked curiously, raising his head from Dean's shoulder.

"Long story, I'll fill you in later. Problem is Sophie and Dad? Still not convinced, so I guess we only have one option."

Cas raised an eyebrow in question as Dean continued.

"We're gonna have to run Cas. I'm gonna see what money I can pull together, I'll pack a bag for you and come back for you tomorrow ok?" Dean explained, cupping Cas' face with both hands and looking deep into his blue eyes.

"But…run where?"

"Anywhere…everything I promised you, it's gonna happen…I'll make it happen." Dean said firmly, placing a kiss on Cas' forehead.

Cas smiled in return, curling his body against Dean's in comfort and nodded his head.

"I don't know what I'd do without you…I want this Dean, I want us…even if it mean's leaving everything behind. Let's do it." Cas said with a determined voice.

They smiled at each other; Dean leant down to kiss his step brother again but they broke apart when the bedroom door handle shook.

"Castiel, why have you locked the door? Are you speaking with someone?" Zachariah's voice boomed through the wooden door in concern.

"Quick you have to go…but you'll come back for me tomorrow right?" Cas asked Dean, as he hurried back towards the window.

"Of course baby, when lunch time breaks in school…I'm coming for you." Dean said with a grin, pulling Cas in for a passionate kiss.

Cas broke away with a hazy, satisfied smile and bit his lip in excitement, watching as Dean shuffled down the drain pipe and darted out of the driveway.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean got home from school that same day with the biggest smile on his face and immediately suspicion roused his parent's.

"Dean, everything ok?" John asked curiously, approaching his son.

His eldest son let his smile drop and he glared at his dad, before racing upstairs. Dean hadn't spoken to John or Sophie in days, so his Dad expected nothing less. With a sigh John returned to the living room.

Sam bumped into Dean upstairs and smirked as he seen a massive grin on his big brother's face.

"You're actually smiling, what gives?"

"I found Cas." Dean said with a wide smile.

Sam gasped loudly and pulled his big brother into a hug.

"Thank God, I'm so happy for you Dean! Have you seen him? Is he ok?" Sam rambled, pulling back from the hug.

Dean motioned for Sam to be quiet and pulled his younger brother into the bedroom, shutting the door for privacy.

"I don't want them to hear but yeah, he's fine…better now." Dean said happily, debating with himself whether or not to tell Sam about them running but thought better of it.

"I'm glad, are you gonna go see him every day?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Yeah every day, I'll have to sneak in though and please Sam don't…"

"Tell Dad and Sophie…got it. Don't worry Dean, I've learnt my lesson. I just want to see you happy." Sam said with a small re-assuring smile.

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The following morning Dean was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as he packed a bag for Cas, throwing in his favourite clothes and necessities. He had packed his own bag the night before and gathered together the only money he had lying around, hoping it would be enough for now.

Dean sneaked downstairs past the kitchen and raced out of the front door, throwing the bags into the trunk of the impala before strolling back into the house.

Sam came darting downstairs with his schoolbag and Dean smiled sadly at him.

"What?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, just…I'm glad we are talking again. I love you Sammy." Dean muttered, pulling his ever growing brother into a tight hug.

Sam grimaced at the unusual display of affection but given how things had been between them lately, he shrugged off the chick flick moment and returned the hug.

Dean pulled away, fighting back tears in his eyes and Sam raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, that was…weird."

"Shut up…bitch." Dean said with a laugh, ruffling Sam's hair.

"Jerk" Sam retaliated, batting Dean's hand away and rushing towards the kitchen.

Dean felt a lump in his throat as he looked around his childhood home one last time; he made his way towards the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to take in the sight of his family one final time. Hurt coursed through his body and he was truly sorry it had come down to this, but his Dad and Sophie left them no other choice.

Truth was, it didn't hurt any less having to leave them behind but it was something that had to be done and Dean was willing to go that extra mile for Cas. With a final glance towards his Dad and brother, a tear rolled down Dean's face and he turned with determination towards the front door and out of their lives for good.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"I'm gonna miss you…you big, stupid head." Jo mumbled with a frown, pushing Dean.

He chuckled and pushed her back.

"Stupid head, really?"

"Shut up."

Dean pulled Jo into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but we will be in touch I swear and when we finally settle somewhere then you guys can come visit ok?" Dean re-assured confidently, breaking the hug.

Jo nodded and reached into her pocket, handing Dean some notes.

"You're gonna need all the help you can get, it's not much but every little helps. There's $20 there."

"Thanks Jo" Dean said with a smile.

He turned to Gabriel who was currently counting the change in his hand and Dean raised an eyebrow as he looked up.

"I have $2 in quarters…that help?" Gabe said with a mouthful of chocolate.

"You know what buddy, you keep that." Dean said with a laugh, patting Gabriel on the shoulder.

Gabriel nodded and smiled in return, patting Dean on the back.

"Good luck Dean-O."

"Thanks, probably gonna need it." He muttered, glancing up to the clock in the school hallway.

"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" Jo said with a smile, nudging Dean.

"Yep, I surely do. I'll speak to you guys soon, ok? And thanks for everything" Dean said with a final smile, excitement burning through his system once more as he took a final look at his school and made his way towards the exit.

"Go get your guy Dean Winchester." Jo said quietly as she watched Dean exit the school and out of their lives.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean pulled up around the corner from Zachariah's and was surprised to see Castiel already standing on the sidewalk outside the house, waiting for him.

"Hey gorgeous, how did you escape the big bad Uncle." Dean called out to Cas down the street and watched as his step brother whirled around and a grin lit up his face as he come hurtling towards the impala.

Cas latched onto Dean and practically kissed the life out of him, pushing his step brother against the impala and devouring his mouth with a deep kiss.

He pulled back with a smirk, biting his lip in excitement and staring into Dean's eyes.

"He was occupied, so I decided to sneak out a little early."

"Hmmm, naughty boy." Dean laughed wiggling his eyebrows.

"You know it." Cas said returning to wiggle and laughing loudly.

"God I've missed you so much, today is the start of our new lives together." Dean said with a small awestruck smile, brushing his hand through Cas' hair.

Cas leant into the touch and sighed in content.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for." Cas said excitedly, pushing Dean aside and jumping into the impala.

Dean rushed around to the driver's side and got in next to Cas. He immediately reached for his step brother's hand and squeezed it tightly.

Mixed feelings swirled in both of their stomachs, excitement, nerves, anticipation and worry filled them both.

None of that mattered anymore as long as they were in this together, they shared a smile before Dean put the impala into drive and they sped off onto the open road.


	24. Chapter 24

"So what's the plan?" Cas asked curiously from the passenger seat.

"I was thinking we could find a motel on the outskirts of town for the next couple of nights, I'll need to look for a job and we can move on in a couple of days once I have more cash." Dean explained carefully.

Cas nodded slowly in understanding, his stomach fluttering with both nerves and excitement, he still couldn't quite believe they were doing this. Cas extended his hand to rest on Dean's thigh, causing his step brother to glance over to meet Cas' eyes for a moment and in that moment, everything was worth it and Cas couldn't help but smile back.

"I'll look for work too; we just need to find a motel for now." Cas said with a smile of encouragement, gently squeezing Dean's thigh.

Dean grinned in return, placing his own hand over Cas' as they continued to drive to the outskirts of town.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Soph we're home." John called out as he entered the house, watching Sam race past him and up to his room.

Sophie came out of the kitchen with a confused look on her face, her eyes darting to the empty space surrounding her husband.

"Where are Sam and Dean?" She asked curiously.

John raised an eyebrow at her as he took off his jacket.

"Sam just went upstairs to do his homework, the after school club ran a little late tonight…Dean…I'm not sure, has he not been home since school?"

Sophie shook her head and frowned, suddenly looking a little concerned. John noticed her change and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek for re-assurance.

"I'm sure he will be home soon, probably just driving around and trying to clear his head, he's been doing a lot of that this week." John said, shrugging off the situation and heading into the living room.

Sophie murmured in agreement but something wasn't sitting right in her stomach but she also shrugged it off and followed John into the living room.

"Sweetie, I'm going to head round to Zach's in an hour or so to visit Cas, I'm worried about him…he barely speaks to me when I go and see him." She said sadly, sitting down beside her husband.

"Cas will come around, you're his Mom…he has to. Same as Dean will come around too, they both have some growing up to do, that's all." John said sadly, throwing an arm around Sophie's shoulders in comfort.

She nodded slowly, but a frown still covered her face and showing her true emotion. Sophie leant forward, burying her head in hands and letting out a frustrated noise.

"Do you think…" She started, resting her elbows on her knees and staring down at her hands that were wringing together nervously.

"What?"

"…do you think maybe we are overreacting to Cas and Deans situation? I mean obviously it's a hell of a shock but to split them up and send my boy away…Cas has never stopped speaking to me before, he used to tell me everything and I'm so worried…I thought it was a good idea at the time…but now, I'm not sure…I'm worried about them both and I don't want to lose them. I couldn't help but lie awake these past few nights wondering if it would be so bad…sure it's an odd situation to be in but technically they're not doing anything wrong. I just kept thinking 'oh my god' what would the family say or neighbours or my friends…then I thought why the hell am I so worried and concerned about what people think!? These are my boys and if they're happy…shouldn't we be happy for them? I just…I don't know if we're doing the right thing anymore, I'm so confused." Sophie confessed, tears now rolling silently down her cheeks.

John gaped for a moment, not knowing what to say in return. A large part of him felt guilty…cruel almost, for splitting them up and sending Cas to his Uncle's house but he still felt the situation was just too strange to deal with, especially right now. He figured time apart would help the boys realise that this 'thing' was simply a phase and nothing more, deep down he still hoped that one day the three boys could live as brothers. Sam was now in full support of his brothers and now it looked like his wife was coming round to the idea, mainly because she couldn't face the cold shoulder from the boys anymore, John on the other hand didn't know if he could just accept whatever this was between his son and step son.

"I dunno anymore Soph, I'm not sure I can handle this…any of it. They're brothers…step brothers…supposed to be anyway and the fact they have been sneaking around like this for months…I just don't know what to feel anymore. I don't want to lose them either but I don't know what to do for the best. How about we both go to see Cas in the morning, maybe take Dean along too…we can sit down and talk this out, all of us. There are still a lot of things unsaid." John suggested with nerves and worry settling in his stomach.

Sophie wiped her tears away and nodded in agreement, heading back into the kitchen and leaving her husband sat alone with his thoughts.

John sighed heavily, the situation, the options, and the consequences of their actions playing over in his head; there was no easy answer to any of it.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

This was the fourth motel Cas and Dean had stopped at this afternoon.

Castiel watched once more as Dean shook his head and got back into the impala for the fourth time that afternoon.

"Too expensive." Dean muttered in short explanation under his breath and sighed heavily.

"Again...this is the fourth place we have tried Dean, we're nearly out of town and we don't even know when the next motel will come along." Cas rambled, frustration now etching away at him.

"I know Cas, I'm trying alright…they have all just been too pricey and we can't afford one night, let alone a couple." Dean murmured, rubbing his forehead to ease away the headache threatening to emerge.

"Dean…how much money do you have exactly?"

The Winchester brother froze, slightly surprised that it had taken Cas this long to actually ask and he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well…including the $20 Jo gave me…some money I had stashed at home…ummm…"

"Dean" Cas said firmly, now feeling extremely concerned as Dean rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort.

"$56…"

Cas' mouth fell open and he stared wide eyed at his step brother.

"…don't look so worried, I'm sure everything will be fine…we just need to find a cheap motel for a couple of nights, there has to be one around somewhere and I'm sure I can get a quick job for quick cash so we can move on. All these motels want $30 - $35 a night and that would eat up most of the money…I have it in hand, ok?" Dean explained in a rush, concern now flooding through his own system and realising he hadn't thought this through all that much.

"No Dean it won't be ok, we have to go back!" Cas yelled into the confined space of the impala and causing Dean to flinch.

"What? Are you crazy, we can't go back Cas. I don't want to go back…we are finally together, on the open road…we can't…"

"I didn't mean go back permanently, I just know I have more money in my room…so if we could just get past them and get the cash, we can head straight back out." Cas explained, not wanting Dean to think he was backing out, if anything Cas wanted this just as much if not more than Dean.

"It's a suicide mission, we will never get away with that…we're too far gone! Hell they're probably looking for us right now, probably realised we are missing. Baby, it's too risky…I know I've been stupid dragging us out here with hardly any money but we need to keep driving…I love you so much…we need this and hell I would sleep in the god damn car if I have to. But we are not going back." Dean said firmly, now grabbing for Cas to hold his hands firmly between his own and staring into a concerned pool of blue eyes.

Cas couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips, Dean was determined that they would both make it on their own and he would go through hell and high water for Cas.

The younger step brother pulled Dean closer by the lapels of his leather jacket and kissed him firmly on his lips before pulling back.

"Ok, you're right…let's keep driving." Cas said with a short nod.

Dean grinned in return, leaning back in to kiss Cas once more before throwing the impala into drive and heading out of the motel car park, onto their next destination.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

A little over 30 minutes later, Dean had managed to find one more motel and it was sat right on the very border of their home town.

He pulled up beside the motel main office and put the impala into park. Dean jumped out to ask how much it would be and Cas got out of the car, leaning against the side to take a good look at their last resort.

In short, the outside of the motel looked like hell.

Cas grimaced at the sight of the dull grey paint that covered the outside of the one story building, discoloured curtains and blinds decorated the windows of each room, the paint work on the doors were cracked and worn.

The motel owner (Cas assumed) who Dean was currently talking to, was a little creepy looking and there were two men at the other end of the car park looking as though they were about to tear each other to pieces as they argued. Cas shifted uncomfortably on his feet, a shiver radiating up his spine.

Dean exited the motel office with a huge grin, clapping his hands together and a motel key swinging around one of his fingers.

"Finally we can settle in somewhere for the night. Double room, booked two nights and with money left over for food, only $15 a night." Dean said excitedly, rushing to the trunk of the impala and retrieving their bags.

"$15 a night huh…I wonder why." Cas mumbled sarcastically under his breath, grimacing at a clearly used condom on the concrete by his foot.

That uneasy feeling returning full force as Cas realised this is where they would be spending their first nights away from home.

"Come on baby, let's go find our room." Dean said happily, handing Cas his bag and motioning for him to follow.

It wasn't too difficult to find their room amongst the short row of varied room numbers and Dean was eagerly turning the key to their new 'home'.

Once inside the smell hit both of them almost instantly, Cas' hand shooting up to pinch his nose and Dean frowned in disgust as they entered further into the room.

"What the fuck is that smell?" Dean said groaning, throwing his bag onto the double bed.

"That is disgusting, smells like something died in here." Cas complained, his eyes watering excessively.

Dean glanced around the room, mentally trying to stay positive but his expression showing otherwise.

The room was worse than the outside, the walls and curtains were yellow, the TV looked ancient – Dean would be damn surprised if it worked at all, the bed covers looked as though they could do with a check over and possibly a dry clean.

"Well…I'm sure we can make this work. Tell you what; I'll have a word with the manager…see if he can get the room cleaned up." Dean piped up, trying to keep a positive tone in his voice.

Cas frowned and shook his head at Dean's false enthusiasm, making his way out of the room to escape the smell.

Dean followed in concern, key in hand and ready to talk with the owner.

"Look why don't you go across the street to that convenience store and pick up some food…maybe some air freshener? I'll have a word with the guy and see what we can do about getting the room cleaned up a bit, ok?" Dean said plastering on a re-assuring smile and digging for what money he had left.

He handed Cas $15 for cheap supplies and pressed a kiss to his cheek, urging him towards the store across the street.

Castiel nodded reluctantly but started to make his way through the car park and over to the store.

A little while later Cas returned with a bag full of cheap food, drink and spray air freshener. He headed towards their room to find the door open, he pushed inside and seen the sheets on the bed were stripped, as were the curtains from the windows. Dean was currently checking around the room, assumedly for any other nasty surprises.

"What's going on?" Cas asked curiously, watching Dean jump slightly at his presence before whirling around and striding across to him.

"I've checked the room for you know…bugs and stuff, it's clean. I asked the guy at the desk about dry cleaning the bed covers and curtains…he said it would cost $7 extra but it's worth it!" Dean explained, taking the plastic bag from Cas' hand and browsing inside.

Dean immediately started spraying the new air freshener around the space, leaving the door open to air out the remainder of the smell. Cas sat down on the edge of the stripped down bed and wrung his hands together nervously.

"We're gonna be ok, right Dean?" He asked in a small, almost naïve voice.

His older step brother stopped his actions and turned to Cas with a sad smile, dropping the air freshener on the coffee table and sitting beside Castiel on the bed.

Dean pulled Cas close with one arm and he dropped his head onto Dean's shoulder with a sigh, lacing their fingers together. Dean kissed his step brother on the head and held him tightly.

"Of course we are." Dean mumbled quietly, his lips resting against Cas' temple and placing another kiss there for re-assurance.

Cas smiled to himself, relieved to feel Dean wrapped around him and making him feel safe and loved again. He knew they would be fine, there was always going to be a struggle but he believed heavily in Dean and in their relationship.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Dad, where is Dean?" Sam asked curiously as he entered the living room.

John shuffled in his seat, glancing at the clock and noting it was now past 9pm, still no sign of his son.

"I'm not sure Sammy." John mumbled quietly, his leg shaking furiously in agitation.

Sophie had left about 30 minutes previous to visit Cas, insistent that even though they had decided to talk with everyone in the morning, that she still wished to see her son tonight and tell him what their plans were.

"I'm worried about him Dad; he's never usually this late…"

"He will be fine Sam; he's probably at a friend's or something." John muttered, starting to pace the room with growing concern.

"But Dad…"

"Dammit Sammy would you just drop it, I'm sure Dean is fine." John snapped at his youngest son who crossed his arms in defiance and stormed over to the sofa, flopping down onto it angrily.

John sighed heavily and run a hand down his face; the house phone ringing broke the tension as John reached for it.

"Hello…woah woah, calm down sweetheart…what's going…what? Please tell me you're joking…fuck, they must have gone together…dammit…ok…you're upset, be careful driving back here ok? We will find them Soph, I promise."

Sam listened in on the conversation with worry and was immediately by his Dad's side.

"What's happened?"

"It's Cas he's missing…"

John threw the phone onto the sofa with a thud and he kicked the coffee table in frustration.

"They have run away together…haven't they?" Sam asked worriedly, waiting for his Dad's reaction.

He looked over to his youngest son, nodding and pulled him into a tight hug, running a hand through Sam's ever growing hair.

"Looks that way but we will find them" John said firmly as Sam pulled back from the hug.

"But what if they don't want to be found?"

John sat on the sofa, glancing over to Sam before tearing his eyes away and refusing to look at anything but the floor as he mulled over his youngest son's question. He gave a small shrug, not knowing the answer and buried his head in his hands, daring himself not to shed a tear.


	25. Chapter 25

The front door to the Winchester household flew open with a bang and Sophie raced inside, her eyes darting around the living room. John was quick on his feet and rushing over to his clearly distraught wife.

"Has Dean been home? Have you heard anything?" She rambled, gripping John's arms for support.

Sophie's cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes blood shot from an excessive amount of crying. John steadied his wife, taking hold of her shoulders and looking into her blue eyes.

"Sweetheart calm down, breathe ok? We will find them, I'm gonna take the car and see if I can spot the impala parked up anywhere, maybe call in on a couple of Dean's friends to see if they have heard anything…"

"I'm coming with you." Sophie said immediately, making her way towards the door.

John grabbed hold of her arm and gently tugged her back.

"No you and Sammy have to stay here in case they call or show up, ok?"

"But…"

"NO…both of you stay here." John commanded, staying firm until Sophie nodded her head weakly and sat on the edge of the sofa next to an upset Sam.

John sighed heavily and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands into his own.

"I will find them, I promise you. They can't have gone far." John re-assured, pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead.

He stood up, grabbing his worn jacket and headed out of the front door, leaving Sophie and Sam to comfort each other.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Cas picked up Dean's watch from the bedside table and noted it was just past 11pm.

He thought about turning on the TV and flicking through the channels while he waited on Dean getting back, but thought better of it when he noticed the dodgy stains on the remote.

Thankfully that's the moment Dean chose to stroll back in with the newly clean bed sheets, he grinned widely and held them up in triumph.

"Freakin finally, let's get these fresh sheets on the bed…might make it bearable to sleep on that damn thing." Dean declared, throwing the pillow cases to Cas who caught them with a smile.

Once the boys had in effect re-decorated the bed with clean sheets, they settled down for their first night in the motel together.

Dean wiped down the TV remote and was currently flicking through the channels, while Cas decided to take a shower.

He emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and practically shivering from the cold.

"No fucking hot water." Cas complained, shuffling across the room.

Dean was quick on his feet, rushing over to his step brother and running his hands up and down Cas' bare arms to warm him up a little.

"Doesn't surprise me…I'm sorry I couldn't get us into a nicer motel" Dean sighed, his shoulders slumping in sadness.

Cas seen the puppy dog look radiating from his step brother and quickly pulled him into a hug, pushing himself against Dean's body heat to uncover some warmth.

"It's fine Dean, as long as I'm with you everything is good, we can survive with cold showers for two days." Cas re-assured with a chuckle, feeling Dean's strong arms envelope him in a powerful hug.

Dean nodded against Cas' neck, breathing in his scent and gripping just a little tighter, too afraid to let go.

"I've missed you so damn much." He mumbled, kissing Castiel's neck tenderly.

"I've missed you too; we can make up for lost time." Cas said pulling back from their hug, keeping his arms wrapped around Dean.

The older step brother smirked at that and pulled Cas into a deep kiss, pushing him backwards towards the bed.

Dean moaned into Cas' mouth, their tongues tangling desperately together and relishing in every lick, suck and smacking of lips…they really had missed this.

Cas stepped back away from his step brother with a smirk, letting the towel fall from his waist and watching as Dean's eyes ravished his entire body, drinking in his lean form.

"Fuck Cas." Dean muttered under his breath, before practically pouncing on the younger boy.

Castiel landed with a heavy thud on the bed, swiftly followed by Dean landing carelessly on top of him and he felt the bed creak with their weight.

"This does not sound safe." Cas mumbled, eyeing the bed warily.

Dean chuckled, grabbing hold of Cas' chin and forcing him to meet his emerald eyes with a smile, before Dean swooped down to kiss his step brother lovingly on the lips.

He pulled back with a wiggle of his eyebrows, letting his hands run slowly up Cas' torso with a tickling pressure and relishing in the moan of delight that fell from the younger boys lips.

"Well I say…we should put this bed to work…test its limits." Dean mumbled, licking and suckling and Cas' neck.

Cas moaned bucking his hips upwards and his bare, hard cock met with Dean's still clothed erection.

"You're wearing too many layers…off." Cas demanded, pushing at Dean's t-shirt and tugging at his belt in a feeble attempt to rid him of clothing.

Dean laughed at Cas' enthusiasm and pulled off his t-shirt, his toned abs immediately met with Cas' eager hands, roaming playfully over bare skin. He ground his denim glad hips against Cas, moaning at the friction and quickly ridding himself of the jeans and boxer shorts, giving them skin on skin contact they had been craving for too long.

"Damn…did I mention how much I've missed you?" Dean moaned, thrusting against Cas and allowing their now uncovered erections to slide against one another.

Cas nodded quickly in response, squeezing his eyes shut and letting the pleasure roll over him in waves, grabbing for any available skin he could find on Dean and letting blunt nails dig into his flesh. Dean buried his head against Cas' neck with a groan, kissing the soft skin there and grinding faster against his step brother, relishing in the breathy little moans currently puffing down his ear.

"OHHHHH YESSSS!" A very loud, clearly very female moan sounded through their motel room and the thin wall behind the bed shuddered slightly.

Dean stopped his actions and they both froze, he pulled off Cas' neck and looked down at his step brother in shock.

"Ummm dude?" Dean queried the noise with a raise of his eyebrow.

"That wasn't me Dean" Cas scolded, slapping his step brother on the arm.

He rolled his eyes and let out a puff of laughter.

"I know that…but where the hell did it…"

"OH GOD BABY HARDER! FUCK ME"

Cas' eyes widened a considerable amount at the noise and Dean stared down at him with a deep frown.

"Fuck is that coming from the next room?" Dean muttered in question, glancing ahead at the wall.

"Sounds like…they're very…" Cas started to speak only to be cut off by a shrieking female voice.

"YES YES YES YESSSSSS"

A loud, continuous beating noise was now pounding heavily against the thin wall and causing it to shake slightly with the pressure. Dean raised his eyebrow again at the impact and glanced back down to Cas.

"…loud." Castiel concluded with a frown of his own.

"Gee ya think Sherlock?" Dean said with a chuckle, earning another slap from Cas.

Cas watched as Dean's light hearted chuckling turned into a mischievous smirk and a glint appeared in his green eyes. Dean pushed his hips down, forcefully rolling them against Cas' and a loud moan sounded from the younger boy, as Dean renewed his arousal.

"Bet we can be louder." Dean whispered naughtily down Cas' ear, causing the boy underneath him to shudder with anticipation.

"Dean" Cas tried to say in a warning tone, causing his older step brothers grin to stretch wider when the 'warning' sounded more like a pleading moan.

"You know I'm right" Dean whispered hotly in Cas' ear once more, taking his ear lobe between his teeth and biting down, causing an animalistic groan from the boy below him.

He pulled back, seeing a grin spread across Cas' mouth, he bit his lip seductively and nodded up at Dean.

"Challenge accepted." Cas said firmly, sliding his hands into Dean's hair and pulling him down roughly for a fierce kiss.

Their tongues battled together for a good minute, moaning loudly into each other's willing mouths and their hips started to roll against each other again, causing them to break apart. Dean moaned loudly, smacking his hand against the wall as he thrust back down against Cas.

Cas managed to flip their positions, pinning Dean to the bed, kissing and licking his way down Dean's tanned body. Dean groaned as Cas reached his hip bones, letting his lips skirt over sensitive skin and looking up at Dean from under his thick eyelashes.

"FUCK CAS, Don't be a fucking tease." Dean yelled loudly, tugging at Cas' hair and encouraging him to move lower.

Cas chuckled and finally took Dean's cock into his mouth, moaning loudly around his erection, causing Dean to buck up wildly from the bed.

"HOLY CRAP" Dean moaned, fisting his hands in Cas' hair, God he loved Cas' hair…the way it was just the right length to grab onto for the ride.

A muffled sound of loud moans, both male and female sounded through the thin walls again and the banging picked up the pace, clearly their neighbours' headboard smacking against the wall. The moans and screams got louder and louder, giving the boys their own personal porn soundtrack for the night.

Cas swallowed down most of Dean's cock, letting the head hit the back of his throat and allowing Dean to thrust up into his wet mouth.

"FUCKING HELL CAS, OH GOD...SO GOOD" Dean moaned loudly, bucking his hips up and holding Cas' head in place as he fucked his willing mouth.

The motion caused the bed to creak and sway with the pressure, the headboard starting to send thumping noises straight through the wall.

"Enough baby…I need more, I need you." Dean rambled, tugging at Cas' hair to pull him off and drag him up the length of Dean's body, into a passionate kiss.

Cas moaned into the kiss, settling himself between Dean's spread legs and pressing spit slick fingers against Dean's hole, causing his older step brother to gasp loudly.

"Fuck me" Dean whispered against Cas' ear, challenge be damned, he just wanted Cas.

It didn't take long for Cas to prep Dean's hole, taking his time opening his step brother up for him, causing Dean to pant and moan at the sensations.

Cas smiled down at Dean, before finally pushing his cock inside the wet heat and gasping at the familiarity of it all. Dean and Cas moaned simultaneously as they took a second to gather themselves, before Castiel started thrusting inside hard and fast.

The noises from the motel room next door started up again, only louder and more obscene. This only renewed the challenge for Dean and he wrapped his legs around Cas' waist, pulling him in closer and deeper.

"FUCK YES CAS, RIGHT THERE…FUCK ME HARDER." Dean yelled, banging his hand back against the wall again in time with Cas' rough thrusts.

"OH GOD DEAN" Cas groaned loudly, taking hold of the headboard above him with both hands and using it as leverage to thrust faster and harder.

The headboard was banging furiously against the wall with perfect rhythm and the bed was creaking with even more pressure, old mattress springs digging into Dean's back…but it only spurred him on.

Cas drove hard and deep into Dean, hitting his sweet spot on every other thrust causing Dean to yelp loudly and yell obscenities. He reached down to take his own cock in hand and began pumping in time with Cas' insistent thrusts.

Moans, groans, yelling and banging was occurring from both rooms now, almost in synch as they battled to be the loudest.

When Cas fell forward and bit into Dean's neck, that was all it took for Dean to yell his step brothers name loudly and shoot hot strips of come up his own chest, pumping himself through the bliss. Cas followed quickly after with a shout, filling Dean up with wet heat.

Castiel breathed heavily against Dean's neck, licking and kissing the swollen bite mark he had left there moments ago, soothing the sore skin. He pulled out of Dean with a wince and fell beside him on the bed, both boys completely wrecked and panting heavily to catch their breath.

Dean let his head fall to the side with a lazy grin; Cas felt Dean watching him and turned to face his step brother with a satisfied smirk.

"Now THAT was worth the wait, you're incredible." Dean breathed out in awe, with a puff of disbelieving laughter springing from his lips.

"I think you will find that it's YOU who is awesome Dean Winchester." Cas said with a laugh, leaning forward and capturing Dean's lips in a tender kiss.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

A loud knocking on their motel room door shocked them out of their bliss and Cas stared wide eyed at the locked door, then back to Dean.

"It's ok, I got it Cas." Dean said quietly, wiping down his chest and quickly throwing the discarded towel from earlier around his waist before answering the door.

Castiel sat up on the bed, making sure the sheets covered his modesty as he leant forward to see what awaited them on the other side of the door.

Dean unlocked and opened the door to find a rather large, burly biker guy looking rather pissed off.

"Can I help you?" Dean asked curiously, eyeing up the man who towered above him.

"Fucking keep the noise down asshole, there are other folks in this motel ya know." The guy snarled.

Dean blanched slightly, glancing to the neighbouring room and seeing a scantily clad girl hanging out of the door smoking a cigarette and rolling her eyes.

"Come on sugarplum leave the kids alone, I'm not done with you yet." She said in a husky voice that made Dean grimace.

"In a minute doll…i'm just giving him a warning." The biker said firmly, before turning back to Dean.

Dean broke into a smug grin, fighting back the laughter in his throat.

"Sugarplum? Really?" He snickered, earning a fierce glare from the man in front of him.

"You don't wanna mess with me kid…keep the fucking noise down or I'll get you kicked out."

"Pft says you…you overgrown idjit, you two started with the noise!" Dean complained, smile falling from his face.

The biker saw red, stepping forward into Dean's personal space and prodding him hard on the chest with a warning finger.

"I'm warning you boy…don't fuck with me…"

He glanced past Dean and met with Cas' concerned wide eyes, the biker twisted his face in disgust, huffing out a laugh and stepping back.

"…if you know what's good for you…keep the noise down and stay the fuck out of my way…fags."

The biker guy muttered his last insult and started walking towards his room, but Dean had already seen red.

"What the hell did you just call us, you worthless piece of crap" Dean yelled after the guy and Cas was quick to jump out of the bed, pulling Dean back into the room.

"Dean Leave it alone, just come back inside." Cas insisted, pulling his step brother into the room before the very large guy could pummel him.

Once he got Dean through the door, Cas locked it immediately and gripped Dean's shoulders to calm him down.

"What the hell are you thinking, no offence Dean but that guy is three times your size and I want you to remain in one Dean shaped piece!" Cas said firmly, looking into his step brothers eyes and watching as the anger cloud faded.

Dean nodded and pulled Cas into a hug, running fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry baby, I just lost it but it's all good…thanks to you." Dean hummed against Cas' neck, placing a soft kiss there and pulling back.

"I don't like this motel Dean; it's full of creepy, seedy old men and drug dealers. The sooner we are out of here the better…but for the time being, can we just keep our heads down, please?" Cas pleaded, puppy dog eyes wide and full of hope.

"Of course, it won't happen again. I promise." Dean said, kissing Cas on the forehead and pulling him into another hug.

A little while later they managed to settle into bed and watch some fairly decent TV without further disruption from their neighbours.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

John rolled back through the front door of his home two hours later, looking exhausted and defeated.

He entered the living room to see Sam curled up against Sophie, both of them still wide awake and Sophie was quick on her feet, rushing over to John.

"Did you find them? Please tell me you have some news?" She pleaded with hopeful eyes.

John shook his head sadly and took off his jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

"Sorry, I drove around town a few times and couldn't see them. I stopped by to see Jo and she ended up admitting that they have definitely gone on the run together but she has no idea where to." John said with a defeated sigh, slumping down onto the sofa next to a worried looking Sam.

"I called the police…" Sophie started, biting her fingernails.

"And?"

"…they apparently don't qualify as missing until 24 hours has passed, ridiculous. But they did promise to stop by tomorrow and take some details from us…unless Dean and Cas show up by then." Sophie ranted in upset, running a hand down her face.

"We will find them, I'm sure as long as they stick together nothing bad will happen and we can get them back here safely." John said confidently, looking up to Sophie with firm eyes.

"They don't want to be found…" Sam said quietly from beside his Dad.

"Sammy…"

"…NO, you're not listening…you never listen to anyone! I told you something like this would happen; I told you that we would lose them both…and…and look what's happened now." Sam flew off the sofa, ranting at his Dad angrily.

"Sam that's enough, this is nobody's fault but their own…they shouldn't have run off…" John said harshly, glaring at his youngest son in anger.

"IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT…it's ours…it's yours…all of our faults because we didn't accept them and what they were to each other. Dad I'm 14 years old and even I can see they're in love…don't you get it, they had NO other option but to run…Can you imagine that for just a second…their close family turned against them, split them up and the only other possible way they could find for them to be together was to run and run far away. Just think about how they must be feeling right now?" Sam yelled angrily, tears streaming down his face and meeting his Dad's hard glare with his own.

Sophie's lip was quivering with upset and John's hard glare fell into a look of pure guilt as he let Sam's words wash over him and the worst part was, he knew exactly what Sam meant…his words were hitting closer to home than both Sam or Sophie realised.

He watched as Sam turned, fled upstairs with a slam of his bedroom door and John swallowed back his own tears.

"He's right, about everything…" Sophie muttered under her breath, watching as John met her eyes with concern.

"Soph…"

"Don't John…you know he's right, we have handled this badly…all of it. When we find them boys, we are bringing them back here and sorting this out, I'm not sending either of them away again." Sophie said firmly, storming out of the living room and leaving John sat alone.

The father of the household swallowed the bile that threatened to crawl up his throat, worry, anger, upset and guilt eating away at him. He couldn't help but wonder where Dean and Cas ended up tonight, if they would ever come back and exactly how much of that was his fault.


	26. Chapter 26

The following morning finally dragged around. The sound of muffled voices downstairs pulled young Sam Winchester from his bed.

Truth is Sam hadn't slept all night, he was worried about his brothers and the spat with his Dad last night didn't help matters but Sam knew he had hit a nerve, he was right.

He strolled lazily down the stairs, stopping half way when he seen the cops sitting on the sofa alongside his Dad and Stepmom. Sam took a seat half way down the staircase and watched through the banister.

"Ok I think we have enough details about the boys for now, we will send a cop car to patrol around town and on the outskirts, see if they can spot them or the Impala anywhere."

"What about missing posters or maybe an appeal?" Sophie rushed out, clinging onto John's hand.

"As I said Mrs Winchester, at this stage it's too early to register them both as missing persons…we haven't hit the 24 hour mark yet. Most kids that run away from home are usually found in the first couple of days, we will be sure to keep an eye out and like I said the patrol car will cover the town for most of today…"

Sophie nodded, biting at her fingernails with worry as the cop continued.

"…we will report back to you if we have found anything. If we don't find them or they don't return today then we will discuss the next steps."

"Thank you officer." John said with a firm nod as the cop stood up and headed towards the front door.

John closed it behind them with a sigh and spotted his youngest sitting on the staircase.

"You ok Son?"

Sam's lips pressed together in a tight line and glared at his Dad, with what Dean would usually call Sammy's bitch face.

"What do you think?" Sam muttered, pushing past his Dad and heading into the kitchen.

John leant back against the door, running both hands down over his face in exhaustion; Sam wasn't the only Winchester who hadn't slept a wink last night.

Sophie entered the hallway, pacing furiously and her own arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"I was thinking, we should still go and look…I know we looked last night but it was dark then…we can look at their usual haunts and check local motels...i know the cops are out there but it's not enough John, they could slip past them…they could be heading out of town as we speak." Sophie rambled, pacing in front of John.

"Sophie just breathe ok? I guess we could go out and look again but the cops said they have it in hand, there's not really much more we can do…"

"John" Sophie said in a warning tone and pointed glare aimed at her husband.

"…ok we can go and look, I'll call Ellen to come over and watch Sam. We need someone to be here in case they come home." John finished with a defeated sigh, pushing off the door and past his wife to retrieve the phone.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"The guy said his buddy owns another car garage looking for new employees about 5 miles out of town, might be worth passing through tomorrow when we leave. Apparently there's a lot of stores and stuff around there too, maybe we can find something temporary for both of us." Dean explained to Cas as they exited the run down garage near by their motel.

"Sounds like a plan to me, we just need enough money to get us to the next step and into another town that we want to settle in I guess." Cas replied with a shrug and a small smile, taking Dean's hand in his own, their fingers entwining together as they walked down the street.

"I just wish that you could have stayed in school…I mean with the way my studies were going there was no hope for me in those exams, but you deserve to graduate and I pulled you away from that."

Cas stopped abruptly, tugging Dean's hand backwards until he stumbled back with a yelp and glared at his step brother. His glare fell when he seen Cas' warning eyes boring into his own.

"Do not pull yourself down Dean Winchester, you were doing so well and I'm confident you would ace those exams. You did NOT pull me away from anything Dean, I want this…I would choose you every time. Besides, don't worry about me…we can both earn our qualifications later when we are settled, maybe take adult classes or something." Cas stated firmly, squeezing Dean's hand in re-assurance.

Dean smiled in awe and leant in to kiss his step brothers lips.

"Sure can." He mumbled against Cas' lips with a wide smile.

Cas returned the smile, nipping at Dean's bottom lip before pulling him flush against his own body and into a deeper kiss, relishing in the pleasured moan that spilled from Dean's mouth into his own.

"Fucking kids"

The boys broke apart to see a rather grumpy looking homeless man shuffling past them both and wearing a disapproving glare, aimed at their blatant PDA.

"Wow, we can finally be open about US being together and yet we still get crap thrown aimed at us, nice…REAL NICE." Dean grumbled, keeping his arms firmly around Cas and raising his voice at the end so the homeless guy heard him loud and clear.

"I don't like this part of town, now I get why my Mom never used to let me venture out this far…" Cas started with a frown as he watched the old man waddling away.

He let out a small chuckle as memories took hold and Dean eyed him with a smirk as he continued.

"…you know…when I was old enough to get the bus on my own, she used to lecture the bus drivers and tell them to make sure I got off at the stop I was supposed to and if they dropped me anywhere else, she would hunt them down and kick their ass. Wasn't that funny at the time and I'm pretty sure the drivers used to dread me getting on their bus…but it's pretty funny now I think back…huh, guess she's always been over protective of me." Cas started with a laugh and a sad, distant smile spread across his face by the end as his mind settled on the thought of his Mom and if he would ever see her again.

Dean noticed the sadness behind his step brother's small smile and sighed heavily, knowing exactly how Cas was feeling and pulled him into a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out differently for you and your Mom." He muttered, face pressed against Cas' ruffled hair.

"Don't be silly Dean, it's not just me who has lost his family here…your Dad and Sam." Cas said with a sigh pulling away from Dean and tugging on his hand so they continued down the street.

"You know I haven't told you this yet…but just before I left, Sammy was arguing with Dad, in fact he stuck up for us and kinda told me that he was really sorry for everything and I think he is coming round to accepting us, as long as we're both happy." Dean explained with a small smile.

Cas stopped once more in the middle of the street and smiled widely at Dean, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

"Dean that's great news, at least we have someone on our side and just when we thought Sam shared our parent's opinions too, maybe we could call him soon? Let him know we're ok and maybe once we're settled somewhere he could visit?" Cas suggested enthusiastically, causing Dean to match his grin.

"Definitely, let's maybe give it some time first, yeah? But nice to know we can count on our friends and little bro." Dean said with a smile.

His smile faltered when Dean caught sight of a cop car park up further down the street and two officers stepped out heading into the first store.

"Dean?" Cas asked curiously, looking back over his shoulder to follow Dean's eye line.

"Cops…they could be out looking for us, come on we gotta move. Now." Dean said urgently, reaching out to pull Cas' hood up on his black jacket and zipping it up.

Cas clutched at Dean's arm as his older step brother led them down the road and away from the cops. Dean zipped up his own leather jacket, pulling the collar up high and keeping his head bowed down as they walked.

"Where are we going? Dean?"

"I dunno, just out of sight…thankfully I parked the impala round the back of the motel, so they probably won't check there…but if they ask the staff then we're probably screwed. There's a back entrance to the stores around here, if we can walk through there and re-trace our steps we should miss them." Dean explained carefully, pulling Cas up one of the alley ways between the stores.

They both grimaced at the dire smell and dodged a few suspicious glances from more homeless folks who gathered up the side alley. Dean took them back the way they came, heading towards the motel via the back streets and hopefully avoiding the cops along the way.

The boys managed to dodge the officers and made it back to their motel; they both tucked themselves safely inside of their room and locked the door.

"That was close." Dean sighed heavily, shrugging off his jacket and watched as Cas did the same.

"Do you think they'll come here?"

"Probably, it's the only motel in this part of town. Maybe I should have a word with the owner…"

Cas shook his head and flopped onto the bed, biting his lip nervously.

"Won't do any good, they're not exactly friendly in this place…he won't help us. As long as you parked the Impala round the back out of sight…I guess if we see them pull into the parking lot, we might have to run while they're questioning the manager." Cas said with an unsure shrug.

"Run where?"

"Anywhere Dean, take the car…speed out of here like a bat out of hell…I don't care where to, I don't wanna go back."

Dean smirked at Cas, strolling over to the bed and sitting down beside him.

"So what…I'm Thelma and you're Louise, and we're just gonna hold hands and sail off this cliff together?" He said with a chuckle, nudging Cas' side.

"I don't understand that reference and preferably no cliffs involved…but we're definitely doing it together." Cas said with a frown and his head tilting in confusion.

Dean laughed loudly and cupped Cas' face with both hands.

"I freakin love you." He declared, pulling Cas in for a kiss.

Cas pulled back with a shake of his head and a huff of laughter.

"Love you too…weirdo."

"Hey…what's with the name calling…" Dean protested, tickling Cas' sides and causing his step brother to collapse on the bed in a fit of laughter as Dean continued his assault.

"Dean…please…stop…I can't…I can't breathe…" Cas strained out his words between laughs.

"Maybe you'll think twice about calling me a weirdo" Dean laughed, running his fingers at a tickling pressure down Cas' sides.

"Dean…wait, stop Dean…outside…" Cas' eyes widened and his hands started pushing at Dean's chest to stop him.

He frowned in concern and stopped his tickling attack to look towards their window, there was a clear flickering of blue lights outside and Dean's stomach dropped. They both looked worriedly at each other before racing over to the window.

"Shit, they're here and talking to the manager." Dean mumbled as he pulled back the curtains.

They both watched as the manager rolled his eyes in what appeared to be complete disinterest as he spoke to one of the cops and the other cop scoped out the parking lot, Dean thanked his lucky stars that he had moved the Impala out of sight.

Their plan to run was clearly on hold, there's no way they could escape the room without being noticed so the boys simply stood, frozen on the spot and watched from their window.

"Wait…what…they're leaving…" Dean said curiously, watching as the cops got back into their patrol car and left the motel parking lot.

"…Cas they're gone!" He declared, spinning around to face his now smiling and more relaxed looking step brother.

"Thank God." Cas whispered, pulling Dean into a tight hug.

"Can't believe we got away with it." Dean mumbled against Cas' neck with a smile, kissing the tender skin there.

Cas pulled back with a smirk, running his hands up and down Dean's chest before finally settling on his shoulders. Cas grinned widely, grasping at Dean's t-shirt and pulling him into a passionate kiss. They broke away breathlessly, smiling in content and wrapping arms around one another.

"Just have to survive one more night in this awful place and tomorrow the world is our oyster, we made it Dean…we actually made it."


	27. Chapter 27

"Yeah we're ok, staying in a motel on the outskirts…just last night and tonight…no I can't tell you which one, sorry Jo…wait, what? Holy crap well did you tell him...JO what the hell…ok, ok, sorry for putting you on the spot. I'll call you when Cas and I have moved on, if Dad asks again just say you haven't heard from us yet, k? Thanks Jo, speak to you soon."

Dean hung up after speaking to Jo; he sighed loudly and flopped lazily onto the bed, throwing an arm over his face.

The motel room door swung open and Cas hurried inside looking slightly disturbed, his forehead creased into a harsh frown.

"I swear the motel manager gets creepier by the hour" Cas muttered, handing Dean a can of coke from the vending machine as he sat up on the bed.

"I spoke to Jo, apparently we're now classed as 'missing' since it's been 24 hours, and they're all out looking for us." Dean explained as his step brother took a seat next to him on the bed.

"You didn't tell her where we are though, right? I mean I know Jo is our friend but we can't risk her slipping up." Cas rambled with worry.

"No of course not, but I think we should ask for some help…you know, just to get us to the next town. We have less than $10 to our name and I'm pretty sure the Impala will need some more gas very soon."

Cas frowned in concern for their lack of money and nodded in silent agreement.

"What do you suggest?"

"I called Gabriel, he's got hold of some money…it's not much but it's something, he's willing to drive out and meet us somewhere, I said preferably not here."

"How about that Walgreens we passed? About half a mile back, we could drive and meet him there?" Cas suggested.

"Sounds like a plan; I'll give him another call and arrange a meet up for later." Dean said with a smile, throwing his arm around Cas and giving him a brief kiss on the temple.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Later rolled around soon enough as Cas and Dean made their way out of the temporary motel room, heading towards the impala in the parking lot.

A small group of men gathered outside one of the motel rooms, they were loud, obnoxious and shifty looking, Cas couldn't suppress the shiver that crept up his spine as he and Dean passed the men.

"Hey pretty boy…nice wheels." One of the men hollered at Dean, as they approached the impala.

"Dean, I don't like them." Cas mumbled, clinging to his step brother's arm as Dean opened the passenger door.

"Yeah me either, let's just go…ignore them." Dean muttered back, shoving Cas into the passenger's seat and his feet picking up pace as he ran round to open the driver's door.

Once they were settled in the safety of Dean's baby, he promptly locked the doors and spared a glance over to a worried looking Cas.

"Hey it's alright, let's just go and meet Gabe, they'll probably be gone when we get back." Dean re-assured, squeezing Cas' hand.

Castiel nodded, but the worry didn't drain from his face as Dean pulled the car out of the lot and Dean glanced back in his rear view mirror at the gang, who were watching them speed off into the distance.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Dean pulled the impala into the parking lot of the nearby store and noticed Gabriel's car across the lot, he smirked putting baby into park as he and Cas got out.

"Dean-O, Cassie…feels like forever." Gabe yelled across the lot, running to meet his friends.

"Dude it's been like a day since we last saw you." Dean chuckled, patting Gabe on the shoulder as he reached them.

"Hello Gabriel." Cas greeted with a smile, earning a wide grin in return off the shorter boy.

"So you guys in trouble already? Really Dean…$56 to run away from home…even I'm not that stupid." Gabe taunted, raising his eyebrow at Dean and causing Cas to press his lips together to prevent the laugh from tumbling out.

Dean punched Gabriel in the arm hard, causing his friend to stumble backwards and outright laugh at the glare being thrown in his direction.

"Shut up, you got money for us or what?" Dean grumbled, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets and looking slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your hero. Carry that attitude on and you'll get nothing." Gabe reprimanded Dean with a wag of his finger.

"OK OK…m'sorry." Dean mumbled.

"All is forgiven, only cause I like you both! Here…" Gabe smiled, handing an envelope of money to Cas.

"…it's not much, just $80…but it will get you some gas and hopefully get you out of this town and into another motel for the night." Gabe explained with his smile now sincere and Dean couldn't help but smile back, both boys feeling incredibly grateful.

"Thank you so much Gabe, we really appreciate this and we will pay you back as soon as we're settled." Cas rambled happily, handing the envelope to Dean who shoved it in his pocket with a grin.

"Yeah thanks man, we owe you."

"Ahh you guys, it's not exactly lottery money…relax, pay me back when you can." Gabe said, waving his hand dismissively.

Dean and Castiel smiled in response, nodding their heads gratefully and muttering more thanks to their friend.

"Anyhoo, you guys take care now…I best get back, it's getting dark. Be sure to call us when you settle in the next town…we worry about you crazy kids."

"Will do, just one more night here and we're out." Dean said with a determined confidence.

"Oh you guys" Gabriel yelled loudly, launching himself at Dean and Cas, pulling them both into a tight hug.

Cas chuckled, returning the half hug and laughed further when he seen the grimace on his step brothers face, as Dean patted Gabe quickly on the back.

"Yeah yeah alright dude, less of the hugging." Dean scolded, pulling back with a final pat on the back.

"Sorry…" Gabe mumbled, holding his hands up in surrender and backing up towards his car.

"…See you guys on the flip side"

Dean and Cas watched Gabe get into his car and speed out of the lot at a terrifying speed.

"Weirdly…I'm gonna miss that guy." Dean mumbled, putting an arm around Cas and pulling him close.

"Me too, but it's not forever…we will see him again." Cas re-assured, resting his head on his step brothers shoulder.

Dean hummed in agreement, kissing Cas' hair and patting him on the ass with a smirk.

"Come on hot stuff, we better get back too."

Cas nodded in agreement as they both got into the Impala and made their way back to their not so pleasant motel.

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As Dean and Cas drove into the motel parking lot, the first thing they noticed was the group of men from earlier were still hanging around and the second thing they noticed was said group, arguing and pushing around the creepy old motel manager. Cas spared a worried glance over to Dean as they parked up and Dean frowned in return, his mind debating whether or not to call the cops.

"Come on, let's just get inside baby." Dean suggested, tugging on Cas' arm as he opened the driver's door.

Cas nodded, both boys getting out of the impala and Dean quickly joining Cas on the passenger side.

The gangs voices were getting louder, with a clear string of cursing and taunting falling from their mouths, directed at the manager who for the first time since Dean and Cas arrived, looked frail and innocent.

"Hey, are you alright man?" Dean shouted to the manager across the lot in concern.

"Dean, I'm gonna call the cops" Cas said quickly, pulling on Dean's arm and urging him to follow, but his step brother remained routed to his spot.

The men all followed the voice and turned to face Dean and Cas with grins on their faces.

"Well well, looky here boys…the kids with the cool car are back." One of them said, making his way over to Dean and Cas, followed by four other men.

The motel manager looked slightly relieved they had moved away but immediately reached for his phone and called for help, sensing trouble was about to kick off in his motel lot.

"Dean please, let's just get inside." Cas urged again but Dean stood his ground.

"You know…I always wanted a car like this, way too awesome for a couple of kids to have possession of…wouldn't you say guys?" The man said, running his greasy looking hands over Dean's baby and making him see red.

"Back the hell off." Dean barked, startling one of the men before they all burst out laughing.

"Dean please." Cas begged, drawing the attention of the gang as Cas dragged on Dean's arm.

"Yeah DEAN listen to your little boyfriend…hand over the car keys and nobody gets hurt."

"Over my dead body." Dean growled, stepping in front of Cas and the impala, keys still held tightly in his fist.

"Don't tempt me kid…that can be arranged." The oldest man said firmly, pushing Dean back against the impala roughly.

Castiel felt a surge of worry and anger, throwing himself at the man and latching on in an attempt to get him off Dean.

The other gang members laughed as Cas was thrown backwards to the ground and two of them wasted no time in picking the younger boy up and restraining him.

"Let him go, I swear to God I'll fucking kill you." Dean yelled as the man pushed him back once again and made a grab for the impala keys, this time he succeeded as they fell from Dean's hand to the floor.

The man swept the keys up and held them up in triumph, the other gang members whooping and cheering loudly.

"Fancy taking a ride boys?" The man hollered to his friends, jingling the keys high in the air.

"Fine just take the car…but just let him go" Dean said quickly in defeat, holding his hands up in surrender and glancing worriedly over to Cas.

"Whatever…let the fag go, we got better things to do." The guy said dismissively, pushing past Dean.

The two men threw Cas against the impala, the crack that sounded as Cas' head hit the metal work echoed painfully through the empty parking lot and Castiel hit the concrete with a thud, blood streaming from an obvious cut on his head.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH." Dean yelled, throwing himself at the two men in anger.

Cas could feel his consciousness slipping and his vision blurred as he watched Dean punch one of the men, he called out uselessly from the floor as he seen the flash of silver from one man's hand, a knife.

"Dean" Cas wheezed, coughing violently and trying to stand on shaky legs.

Dean surged at the man, not noticing the blade and the pain that shot through his body was indescribable. The man pushed Dean backwards and he glanced down at his own hand covering a blood covered wound on his stomach.

All Dean could see was blood, a lot of blood and the sound of Cas calling his name in a choking voice somewhere in the distance.

Castiel watched helplessly as Dean hit the ground, tears streaming down his face, watching the men run off in a panic and dropping the car keys in the process.

The sounds of sirens in the distance and the sight of his step brother unconscious, surrounded by blood was the last thing Castiel saw before sleep overtook him.


	28. Chapter 28

"He's waking up…hello, can you hear me?"

Castiel blinked slowly, a blinding headache was the first thing he noticed, swiftly followed by bright lights shining down on him and finally an unfamiliar voice, seemingly calling out to him.

"Dean…"

"Is that your name?" The doctor asked as Cas came slowly back to consciousness.

Cas shook his head slowly, screwing his eyes closed to avoid the bright light and unfortunate memories of Dean being stabbed slowly filling his mind, sudden concern striking fear in his heart.

"No…where is Dean?" He mumbled, opening his eyes to see a couple of nurses and a doctor hovering over him.

"What is your name? is Dean the boy who was with you earlier tonight?" The doctor asked slowly.

Cas opened his eyes fully, noting his surroundings…Hospital.

Suddenly he shot up in bed with a bolt of energy and his eyes darted around the room, glancing to the beds next to him and desperately looking for his step brother.

"Where is he…is he ok, please tell me he's ok." Cas rambled in concern, trying to remove himself from the hospital bed.

The nurses rushed to his side, calmly and lightly pushing at each of Cas' shoulders and urging him to lie back down.

"Just calm down, please…we can answer any questions you have but we need to start with knowing who you are, what is your name?" The doctor asked again patiently.

Cas nodded slowly, the slight movement causing his head to pound even more.

"Castiel"

"Ok Castiel, my name is Doctor Henricksen…you have taken a rather nasty bump to the head so we are just going to run some more tests now that you're awake and check there is no vital damage. Are you in any pain?"

"It…it hurts…" Cas muttered, squeezing his eyes shut once more in pain.

"…please, is Dean ok?"

"Dean, is he the boy you were with earlier tonight?" The Doctor asked, repeating his earlier question.

"Yes…is he ok, tell me he's ok?" Cas begged, sitting up in the hospital bed with constant fear building up inside of him…why would they not answer his questions.

"Is he your friend?"

"My…he's my step brother."

"There's not much I can tell you at this stage, we know he's in a stable condition but I'll be able to tell you more in a little while about his condition…"

Cas breathed a sigh of relief that Dean was alive and apparently in a stable condition, whatever that meant. It didn't stop the curl of worry in his stomach but he nodded in response none the less.

"…now we are just going to run some tests on you Castiel, they won't hurt…we just need to see that everything is ok." The doctor explained with a kind smile, placing his clipboard on the end of the bed.

"Then I can see Dean?" Cas asked with hopeful blue eyes.

The nurses shared a look with the Doctor and he turned back to Castiel with another smile.

"We will see what we can do."

Castiel let out a small, almost relieved smile as the Doctor began to explain what tests they were about to undertake and for the most part Cas didn't listen, his mind was on Dean.

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The curtain around Castiel's bed was drawn back as they finished the tests and the Doctor happily told his patient there was no lasting damage but he may have to stay in for observation just to be on the safe side.

"Can I see Dean?"

"I'm going to check up on Dean right now and I'll be back once I have more information, please just sit tight and if you need anything at all don't hesitate to call one of the nurses."

Cas opened his mouth to respond but the Doctor left the cubicle before he could beg some more and question him about Dean's condition. Part of Cas wanted to crawl out of his bed, even in the God forsaken awful hospital gown and trail the entire perimeter looking for his step brother but his whole body and especially his pounding head were objecting.

Cas hoped the pain killers would kick in soon and he found himself drifting back into a deep slumber.

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"A cat…we could get a cat."

"I'm allergic." Dean protested, slumping back into the couch.

"Don't lie Dean…you just don't like cats." Cas said with a chuckle, curling up against Dean's side.

"Well they're evil…cat's don't have masters, they have slaves and I'm not being a slave to some furry little beast." Dean grumbled, wrapping an arm around his step brother and pulling him closer.

Cas laughed, resting his head against Dean's shoulder and tracing patterns on his clothed chest.

"Ok you win…we'll get a dog"

"Awesome, see dogs I like…we could call it Scooby."

"How original of us" Cas quipped sarcastically, rolling his eyes and earning a jab in his side from Dean.

"Hey, Scooby is a great name…don't mock Scooby."

Castiel held his hands up in surrender and leant up to kiss Dean softly on the lips.

"Fine, Scooby it is…at least let me pick what kind of dog we get."

Dean hummed against Cas' lips with a smile before pulling back and carding a hand through Cas' dark mop of hair.

"Fine…no girly handbag dogs though."

"Definitely not, you have don't have any worries there." Cas said firmly, smirking and settling back against Dean's side.

Cas sighed in content, looking around and taking in their very own apartment, complete with a leather couch, TV set, kitchen…the works!

"I can't believe we finally got here, we did this Dean…this is ours." Cas said with a wide smile, biting his lip thoughtfully.

"Told you we'd make it baby."

Dean kissed the top of Cas' head.

"I love you Dean."

"Love you too Cas."

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"Castiel…Castiel…"

"Dean" Cas mumbled sleepily, feeling a light push at his shoulder.

He slowly came around to see Doctor Henricksen trying his best to wake him up…wake him…it was a dream.

Cas groaned as he realised this right here, the hospital, the doctor, Dean god knows where and in what condition…all of this, was reality.

"Doctor?"

"I have some further news regarding your step brother Castiel..."

Cas immediately shot up in bed, looking at the Doctor with wide hopeful eyes and nodding his head in encouragement for the Doctor to continue, silently noting the pain in his head had definitely reduced.

"…Dean is in a stable condition and things look promising for him. He's taken a harsh stab wound to the stomach but further examination shows it's simply a flesh wound and seems to have missed any vital arteries and organs. He has lost a lot of blood and is still currently unconscious, we are monitoring him further and when he wakes up we can perform further tests. He is a very lucky boy…you both are."

"Thank God, can I see him?" Cas begged, making a move out of the bed.

"Woah slow down, like I said…he's still sleeping at the moment. I can get one of our nurses to take you down to his room but it would have to be a quick visit for now."

Castiel nodded enthusiastically and got out of the bed on shaky legs with help from the doctor.

"Anything, I just need to see him."

Doctor Henricksen hesitantly let go of Cas' elbow and fetched him a hospital robe, sliding it onto his arms.

"Are you feeling ok Castiel? No pain or sickness?"

"I feel ok; I think the pain medication is working." Cas said firmly, determined to see his step brother.

"That's good…we can't take any chances, as long as you feel ok we can let you walk down with assistance but if you start to feel dizzy in any way, please let a nurse know immediately."

"I will." He confirmed, wrapping the robe tightly around himself and tying it.

One of the nurses entered the room as though on queue and smiled politely at Castiel.

"This is Suzanne, she will take you to see Dean and I'll be back to check on you later today." Doctor Henricksen explained, patting Cas on the shoulder and leaving the room.

Suzanne approached Cas, hooking an arm under his elbow to keep him steady and smiled widely at him.

"Ok sweetheart, I'll take you down there…are you ok to walk?"

Cas nodded quickly as he let the kind nurse lead him out of his cubicle and on the way to see Dean.

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They approached a private room away from the other patients and Cas took a deep breath, bracing himself as Suzanne opened the door.

Castiel gasped loudly upon seeing Dean, his middle was bandaged up with a shade of red seeping through, there were drips and tubes and it just didn't feel right to see Dean in this way.

"It's Ok Castiel, I know it's not nice to see someone you love like this but the tubes are helping provide Dean with the best available pain medication for when he wakes up." Suzanne explained, trying to calm the expression of panic on the young boys face.

"Can I…" Cas whispered in question, motioning at Dean sleeping heavily on the bed.

"Of course, go ahead."

Castiel approached Dean's bedside carefully, worried about pulling any tubes out by mistake or causing any further damage. He looked back to Suzanne who smiled and nodded in encouragement, Cas gulped loudly before turning back to look down at Dean.

He reached out and took Dean's still hand in his own, squeezing gently and smiling at the familiarity of the touch.

"Hey Dean…I don't know if you can hear me but…I just wanted…"

Cas' voice broke slightly and he turned to look at Suzanne.

"…I'm sorry, could you give me a moment with him?"

"Of course, I'll be right outside." She said with a smile, turning on her heels and exiting the room.

He immediately turned back to Dean, leaning down and kissing his step brother on the forehead, a silent tear straying from Cas' tired blue eyes.

"You're going to be ok baby I promise and I'll be here when you wake up, I'm always here for you Dean…I love you so much." Cas whispered, gripping Dean's hand tighter and placing another kiss on top of his head.

Cas pulled back with a sad smile, glancing down to Dean's covered wound and winced in sympathy, his mind drumming back over that dreaded moment when he seen the knife plunge into the boy he loves.

Suzanne popped her head around the door with a sad sympathetic smile.

"I'm going to have to take you back now Castiel, I'm sorry."

Cas nodded in understanding, dropping a final kiss on Dean's temple and letting go of his hand.

"I want to be here when he wakes up." Cas said firmly

"Of course, that is understandable…I will talk to Doctor Henricksen and see where we stand, I'm sure we can sort something out." She explained, lightly taking Cas' elbow once more and leading him out of the room.

He cast a final glance back over his shoulder to Dean's sleeping form with a small sigh before letting himself be lead back to his cubicle, the ache of being away from his step brother already stinging greatly in his heart.

Once Suzanne got Castiel settled back in his own hospital bed, she handed him a cup of water and smiled as he gulped the liquid enthusiastically.

"Is there anyone you would like me to call for you?"

Cas stopped mid sip and brought the cup away from his mouth, now cradling the clear plastic in his lap.

"Yes…yes there is."


	29. Chapter 29

Castiel fastened his jeans and pulled a fresh t-shirt over his head, thankfully the formerly creepy motel manager had thoughtfully passed on Dean and Cas' bags that were still back at the motel and gave them to the Suzanne, so both Cas and Dean could change clothes.

Once he was dressed in his own jeans and one of his step brothers band t-shirts, Cas sighed in relief to be out of his hospital gown and into normal clothing.

Technically Castiel had now been discharged from hospital after his final checks but since he had nowhere to go and didn't want to leave Dean's side until he woke up, the nurses had to put up with him sitting at his step brother's bedside and refusing to move. Suzanne had kindly offered an empty hospital bed for him to sleep on but he opted to sleep in the chair beside Dean, you know…just in case.

Cas sat in the large chair next to Dean's hospital bed, resting his elbows on the edge and cradling one of Dean's unmoving hands between his own. It had only been a half hour since Castiel had made that phone call that he dreaded the most and now he could only pray he had done the right thing.

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"I need to see my son, Dean…Dean Winchester." John announced loudly, bursting through the double doors and approaching the now startled receptionist.

Sophie and Sam rushed in behind him, both looking equally worried and Sam clearly upset, with tears now drying on his face.

"Ok sir, just slow down for me…your son's name is Dean…Winchester? Is that right?" The receptionist asked calmly, waiting for a nod from John before typing in the name onto her computer.

"My son, Castiel he called us, I believe he's also being treated for a head injury…please can we see them? I want to know that they're ok." Sophie rambled, fighting back tears.

"Ah yes, the two young boys from the motel…I will page the nurse that's looking after Dean and see what I can do, if you'd like to take a seat…" The receptionist nodded in politeness and gestured to the waiting area.

John slammed his hands on the counter top, causing the surrounding staff and visitors to jump.

"I DON'T WANT TO TAKE A SEAT…" John shouted loudly, causing Sophie to dart forward and place a calming hand on his arm, his eyes flickered back to her worried face and then back to the now slightly scared looking receptionist.

His eyes immediately softened and his shoulders slumped.

"…I'm sorry, it's just…I need to know that he is ok. Can you please hurry?" He finished, now slightly calmer and the receptionist couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for the family in front of her, she dealt with these kinds of situations all too often.

"Of course, I'll get one of the nurses to see you immediately…but if you could just take a seat for now." She replied with a sad smile, once again gesturing to the waiting area.

This time John nodded in defeat and allowed himself to be pulled towards the seating area where Sam was already slumped in one chair, a look of distress clearly written over his face. John took a seat beside his youngest son and ruffled his hair affectionately, with the bare hint of a re-assuring smile.

"Your brother is a strong boy, he's gonna be fine Sammy."

Sam simply nodded in response before turning to face the wall in front of him and spent what felt like hours staring at the chipped paint.

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John was on full alert as he seen a Doctor approaching them in the waiting room and he shot out of his seat to greet the Doctor, firmly shaking hands as the man introduced himself as Doctor Henricksen.

"You must Dean and Castiel's parents…"

"Yes I'm John Winchester; this is my wife Sophie and Sam. Are they both ok? Can we see them now?"

"…of course, I'd just like to run through exactly what's occurred here…I believe Castiel has already given a statement to the police regarding the incident at the motel. Do you know what happened? I'm not aware how much you were told over the telephone?"

"Not a lot, Cas was pretty shaken and we haven't exactly been on speaking terms lately…he was very vague." John muttered, ducking his head in guilt.

"Well just to explain to you briefly, I won't bore you with medical jargon…Castiel is now discharged, he had a minor head injury but it was thankfully nothing serious, we ran a bunch of tests to make sure he was ok and there is no lasting damage, just a bump to the head. He got off lightly considering…"

Sophie and Sam gasped in relief at Cas' news and John nodded, taking in the information before his eyes widened and he interrupted the Doc.

"Wait…considering what?"

"…Considering Dean's injuries, he definitely took the worst blow. From what I can see your son was stabbed with a fairly small blade, causing a severe injury to his abdomen…he lost a lot of blood and as a result is still in a heavy sleep, due to blood loss and pain medication he has been given. Don't worry, he will be fine…we have run a multitude of tests and checked for internal injuries, thankfully the blade missed any vital organs…on closer inspection it's just a flesh wound, but obviously once Dean comes around…which we hope to be very soon…we will run further tests before we can even think about discharging him."

John sighed in relief, hearing Dean was going to be ok but a huge part of him was still insanely worried for his son and that same huge part of him, blamed himself entirely for letting things get this far.

"Can we see them?" Sam asked quietly from behind John.

The Doctor smiled down at Sam, placing a firm hand on his shoulder and nodding.

"Of course young man, I will get Suzanne to take you up to Dean's room."

"Thank you Doctor, for everything." John said with a shaky breath and a grateful smile.

"No problem, they're good kids…Castiel cares deeply about his step brother, he hasn't left his bedside and I'm sure he will be incredibly happy to see you all too." Doctor Henricksen commented with a smile and walked towards the reception, asking the lady to call for Suzanne.

Sam snorted in a humourless manner and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Clearly Cas hasn't told them the whole story, wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to see us at all…he probably only called you because it's the right thing to do." Sam mumbled, turning his back on John and Sophie in upset.

"Sam…" John warned, reaching for his youngest son.

Sophie stepped in front of John and shook her head.

"Sam's right and you know it, just leave him." She asked with pleading eyes.

John took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, running a hand down his tired face.

"I know…I know." He agreed with a single nod of his head.

John and Sophie took a seat, while Sam paced the waiting room where they awaited the arrival of Nurse Suzanne.

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"You know you're gonna have to wake up soon, I'm getting pretty bored waiting around…" Cas joked to an unconscious Dean, a small smile on his face.

When there was no response from his step brother, the smile dropped once more and Cas felt that all too familiar wave of worry and sadness sweeping through him. He squeezed Dean's hand tightly and placed a kiss to the knuckles, a stray tear falling down his face.

"I have a confession…I know you're going to be mad and I don't even know if you can hear me right now…but I called them, I had to. They're still our parent's and they deserved to know…just in case…you know…" Cas muttered, closing his eyes and taking a settling breath as the horror filled thoughts filled his mind, their situation could have been a lot worse but there was no point dwelling on that, he had been re-assured Dean would be fine.

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Meanwhile outside the private room, Suzanne had led Sophie, John and Sam to the door.

"If I could ask you to not all go in there at once, Castiel is already in there and I can guarantee you that he won't leave. I can't have the room too crowded…"

They all nodded in agreement, John's eyes firmly fixed on the door.

"…Dean is still unconscious at the moment, feel free to talk to him if you are comfortable to do so, I can't guarantee he can hear you…but it sometimes helps everyone feel slightly better in this kind of situation." Suzanne assured them all, before patting Sophie's shoulder and leaving them to decide who goes in first.

"I'll go…are two ok to stay here just for a few minutes?" John asked, receiving a nod from Sophie and Sam, who stood back against the wall and watched as John walked towards the door.

He pushed the door open slowly and silently, unprepared for what hit him next.

Castiel had crawled onto the bed beside Dean, arms wrapped firmly around his step brother's shoulders and placing small kisses on Dean's cheeks, tears streaming down Cas' face.

He was unaware of John's presence and continued talking to his sleeping step brother, almost whispering the words into Dean's ear with a choked sob.

"…see this is why you need to wake up, I can't face them alone because I'm weaker than you and I'll crumble. I just need you here with me…conscious…talking…kissing me…telling me everything is going to work out fine…telling me how much you love me, because I love you Dean…so fucking much it hurts and we didn't go through all this crap to end up being separated again, I'll fight for you…I'll always fight for you."

John listened to Castiel's words, guilt and upset surging through his heart, watching as Cas buried himself into Dean's side, openly sobbing and declaring his undying love.

John felt his heart wrench and finally silent tears of his own started to flow freely down his cheeks, quietly backing out of the room.

Sophie and Sam were quick to rush beside John, fearing something had gone horribly wrong. Sam especially looked taken back, seeing his father crying for the first time in a long time.

"Is everything ok, what happened?" Sophie asked with pleading eyes, grasping John's arm.

He couldn't find the words, simply motioning to the doorway and inviting Sophie to take a look inside.

She hesitated moving towards the room, a look of concern across her face and Sam following behind her with curiosity.

They both stopped at the doorway, witnessing what John had seen and Sam couldn't help but smile a little at the sight.

Cas still lay next to Dean, pressing his forehead against Dean's temple and now humming to the tune of 'I can't help falling in love with you' softly into his step brother's ear.

Sophie's hand shot up to cover her mouth and tears started streaming uncontrollably, the whole situation hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"I'm so sorry Castiel." She sobbed into the open room, startling Cas out of his peaceful moment and his eyes widened when they landed on his Mom.

"Mom…" Cas muttered, lifting himself off the bed but keeping a firm hold on Dean's hand.

She smiled widely at her son and attempted to surge forward to embrace him but at that exact moment, a coughing sound alerted the room.

They all looked towards Dean who was slowly coming round to consciousness, Cas felt the grip on his hand tighten and he looked down with wide blue eyes now meeting sleepy green ones.

"Dean?"

"Cas" He choked out, managing to smile up at his step brother.

Castiel beamed happily, quickly hitting the buzzer to alert the nurses and bent down placing fevering kisses over Dean's face, any part of him that he could reach and finally landing a soft peck on his chapped lips.

"You're ok…I was so worried…but you're ok, I'm right here Dean." Cas muttered against Dean's lips.

John rushed into the room behind the nurses, watching from afar as they surrounded Dean's bedside and checked him over.

"Cas sweetie, could you just step outside for a moment…I promise you can come back in soon, we just need the Doctor to check Dean over, ok?" Suzanne pleaded, tugging on Cas' other hand lightly.

He reluctantly nodded, letting go of Dean's hand and walking backwards.

"I'll be right outside Dean." He called over to his step brother, before turning and walking out of the room, swiftly followed by his family.

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"Cas baby, I'm so glad you're ok." Sophie said in relief, crossing the corridor and pulling her son into a tight hug.

He relaxed for a moment in the familiarity of his Mom's hug and allowed himself a moment that he never thought he would get to experience ever again. But when reality hit, Cas pushed her back lightly with a clear look of betrayal and hurt behind his once blue sparkling eyes.

"It's not that easy Mom, you can't just come here, hug me and everything's forgotten."

Sophie retreated immediately, nodding her head in understanding.

"I know that and I have…WE have done a lot of thinking while you boys were gone. I'm so sorry for everything, we shouldn't have let it go this far…we panicked and we did what we thought was best at the time…but…"

"It's not what was best for you both." John finished Sophie's sentence and Cas' shocked gaze darted over to his Step Dad.

"No it wasn't…we love each other and this would never have happened if you just…if you all just opened your minds a little more, accepted us." Cas shot back with pent up anger.

"Believe us, we know that now…we handled this whole thing terribly Cas and the guilt I feel personally for letting things come to this, for not putting my Son's happiness first? I can't even begin to describe how awful it feels." John said firmly, cautiously approaching his Step Son and stopping at a respectable distance.

"Good" Cas muttered coldly, before taking large strides across the corridor and watching the nurses & Doctor check Dean over through the window.

Sophie and John glanced briefly to one another, their eyes not able to meet before darting away again.

Sam joined Castiel at the window and Cas turned smiling down at Sam, before placing an arm around his younger step brother's shoulders.

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"How is he?" John asked immediately as the nurses and Doctor Henricksen left Dean's room.

"He's doing well, we have given him some further pain medication and we will have to monitor him for the next 24 hours at least, but he has no permanent, lasting damage…like I said, he's a very lucky boy. They both are." Doctor Henricksen finished, placing a hand on Cas' shoulder and squeezing it in comfort with an added smile.

"Thank you." Cas said with a grateful smile, before rushing past the Doctor and back into Dean's room.

The Doctor laughed at Cas' enthusiasm and encouraged the Winchester family to follow Castiel's lead.

John and Sophie nodded their thanks, before making their way over to the private room with some hesitance.

Castiel was already inside, being dragged down into a passionate kiss from Dean and chuckling happily when they broke apart.

"Hey." Dean said with a wide smile.

Cas laughed, looking down at Dean and biting his lip.

"Hey to you."

"Are you alright baby? I can't remember that much but I saw you hit the ground and…"

"I'm fine Dean, just a bump to the head…it's you that caused the worry, I was going crazy with all the waiting around. I'm so glad you're ok, I love you so much." Cas rambled, placing another kiss, this time on Dean's forehead.

"I love you too." Dean whispered, twisting his weak hands into his t-shirt that Cas was wearing.

Cas grinned widely and stood back up, glancing towards the doorway where Sam stood awkwardly shuffling his feet.

"Hey Dean."

Dean's eyes widened at seeing his little brother and Sam feared for a moment that he would not be welcome.

"Sammy!" Dean said excitedly, breaking into a beaming smile and motioning for Sam to come closer.

He immediately rushed to Dean's side and threw his arms around his older brother.

"Oh God Dean, I'm so glad you're ok…I was so worried about you…and about Cas…and I'm just happy you're alive."

Dean laughed, patting Sam on the back.

"Jeez Sammy don't be such a drama queen." He joked, grimacing in pain when Sam pulled away from the hug and knocking his wound slightly.

Sam noticed the pained face Dean had pulled and was immediately apologising profusely before John interrupted.

"Be careful Sam, Dean's still gonna be feeling a little fragile I'm sure."

Dean's attention was diverted to his Dad and Sophie, who looked incredibly unsure and what Dean could only describe as guilty.

"What are you doing here?" Dean hissed at his Dad.

"I came to make sure my Son was ok…" John replied calmly, approaching Dean's bedside.

"I'm fine, you can leave now."

"…look Dean…"

"NO, I don't want to hear it Dad…if you're here to tear me and Cas apart again then you can think again, cause' that ain't gonna happen…not on my watch."

John took a deep breath and looking over to Sophie, Sam & Cas.

"Could I please have a moment alone with Dean?"

Sophie and Sam started to leave the room without hesitation, but Dean's hand shot out and grabbed hold of Cas' wrist firmly.

"Whatever you have to say, you say it to me AND Cas."

John nodded in understanding, watching as Cas took a seat on the edge of Dean's bed, their hands joined firmly together and both looking at him expectantly, waiting for his little speech.

He took a seat on the chair next to the hospital bed, clasping his hands together and looking down at them nervously.

"You know, I was your age when I met your Mom Dean…"

Dean shifted in the bed at the mention of Mary, feeling Cas' hand enclose around his own in comfort and swallowing loudly as he listened to John's story.

"…Your Grandfather, Mary's Dad…he hated me beyond belief…I mean, you know we don't always see eye to eye, even now but back then he despised me. Mary and I were young, hopelessly in love and your Grandfather never approved…he said we were crazy, how could we possibly be in love, we're still too young to know what love is…he blamed me entirely for taking his little girl away, said I was a bad influence. Point is…it got so bad that your Mom begged me to take her away from here, your Grandfather had threatened to split us up and she suggested that we run, we didn't want to lose what we had…"

Dean listened in fascination at the freakishly familiar situation and Cas was the one who encouraged John to continue.

"What happened?"

John finally looked up to meet Cas and Dean's eyes with a small smile.

"…We ran of course, only made it one town over before we realised that it was a lot harder than we intended…we ran out of money very quickly and nobody would hire me for work because I was too young and too inexperienced. So we had to face the music and return home, thankfully Mary's Dad was just relieved that she was safe, the whole situation didn't exactly make him take a shine to me but he did realise something…he realised that two people who were willing to go that far…to actually run away together, consequences be damned…he realised how much we loved each other. Only two people who are that desperate to be together would take it that far and from that moment on, he accepted our relationship and while he still didn't like me…things got better through the years and I married the love of my life."

Dean felt a tear roll down his face and quickly wiped it away in embarrassment, before glancing over to Cas who was in a similar situation.

"I didn't know any of that…" Dean mumbled, his eyes meeting with his Dad's.

"I'm glad I waited to tell you that story…because that story made me realise how much your Grandfather and I are alike. I guess all I have left to say is…sorry, I'm so unbelievably sorry for not understanding you better, for not being there for you in what must have been a tough, emotional situation and most of all I'm sorry for not accepting your relationship for what it was. I really want to work this out…I want to take you and Cas home, I'm not saying it will be easy and it will take time but I'm willing to try, no more splitting you up…you're old enough to make your own decisions."

Dean nodded slowly, emotions flooding through him and a huge weight finally lifting off his shoulders at the sound of his father's acceptance.

John let out a small smile, squeezing Dean's shoulder and standing up, heading for the door. Before he exited the room, John turned back to his Son's and smiled.

"I'm sorry it got this far and I'm sorry it took this long. Maybe it's too little, too late…"

"It's never too late Dad." Dean replied with a hint of a smile.

John breathed a sigh of relief, sharing a smile with his oldest boy and heading out of the room to give Dean and Castiel some privacy.

"I can't believe that just happened" Dean breathed out in wonder as his Dad left the room.

Cas smiled back at his Step brother, leaning down and resting his head against Dean's shoulder.

"Me either…maybe things will work out better than we originally hoped for." Cas mumbled dreamily against Dean's shoulder.

"I really hope so Cas." Dean replied, placing a kiss on top of Cas' head.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Only a few days later, Dean is discharged from hospital with the promise he has to use crutches until he feels a little better and not to do any stimulating exercise that may tear his stitches.

Now back in the Winchester household, Dean stumbled into the kitchen on a cold Saturday morning, wobbling slightly and cursing his crutches.

Sam was sitting happily at the kitchen table, eating his cereal and chuckling at Dean's cursing.

"Jeez Dean it's not that hard." Sam quipped with a smug smile, earning a crutch to the back of his head.

"OW"

"You freakin try it little Bro…not as easy as you might think…especially when sporting a war wound."

"War wound…oh please, now whose the over dramatic one Dean." Sam scoffed.

John chuckled at his Son's banter, greeting Dean with a pat on the shoulder as he passed and headed towards the kitchen door.

Dean hobbled over to Cas who was currently listening to the exchange with a grin while he made Dean some breakfast, one arm managed to encircle Cas' waist and Dean placed a kiss on his Step brother's lips.

"Morning Dean"

"Morning baby" He mumbled against Cas' lips with a small smile, before moving to one side and leaning against the kitchen counter.

Dean looked over to Sam who was happily kicking his legs under the table and smiling widely, full of content and acceptance.

John caught sight of the action between his oldest son and step son that was already starting to become so familiar, which surprised not only John but Sophie too with how quickly they were coming around to the idea.

Dean caught his Dad's eye and John smiled warmly at his eldest, with an accepting nod of his head as he left the kitchen.

Cas turned to Dean with a grin and wrapped his arms around the older boy's shoulders.

"You know what…"

"What?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"…I think we're gonna be ok."

Cas smiled widely, pulling Dean into a hug.

"You know what…I think you're right."


	30. Chapter 30

Five Years Later…

"Alright this is this last of it" Cas declared, carrying a worn out cardboard box.

Cas placed the box down just inside the door of his and Dean's brand new apartment.

It had been a tough five years, defending their relationship against neighbours and school friends who had deemed it strange or wrong. Thankfully for the boys, their family had gotten behind them and defended them against anyone who dared speak out of line where it didn't concern them, it was fair to say their family definitely approved of the relationship and were happy to see it still going strong, and they were impressed by the longevity that had initially worried them at the start.

But now they were here, Dean had kept his promise and as soon as he and Cas graduated college, they had found their first apartment together. It wasn't spectacular but it was somewhere they could call home, THEIR home.

Cas walked over to Dean, wrapping his arms firmly around his waist and grinning up at his step brother.

"Finally, home sweet home" Dean mumbled with a smile, leaning down to kiss Cas softly on the lips.

"Oh come on guys, at least wait until we're gone." Sam scolded, causing Cas to chuckle and Dean to roll his eyes.

Sam was about to graduate high school, time had flown by and Dean couldn't believe his little runt of a brother was now all grown up. Sam now towered over Dean, grown up was an understatement and the family still can't believe the youngest boys massive growth spurt, not just towering over Dean but over his Dad too.

"Shut up, jerk." Dean retorted playfully towards his 'little' brother with a grin.

"Bitch" Sam said, smirking in return.

"The place looks great boys" John declared with a smile, coming down the small hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom, followed by Sophie.

"And now you're officially moved in, you can start making it your own." Sophie finished with a smile, pulling Castiel into a proud, motherly hug.

Cas pulled back with a nod and a smile.

"Yep and Dean has kindly offered to make everyone dinner tonight…you know, an apartment warming if you will." Cas said cheerily, shooting a wink at Dean.

"What? I never said that…" Dean protested, his mouth gaping open and glaring at Cas.

Sam laughed and headed towards his older brother, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder before clapping his hands together happily.

"Great, dinner tonight…sounds….um interesting, count me in. But I gotta take off; I said I'll meet Jess in town." Sam said with a smile, pulling a still baffled Dean into a bear hug.

Dean grunted in response, before rolling his eyes and wrapping his arms around his moose of a brother.

"Fine fine go meet your girlfriend… and I suppose dinner tonight, don't be late…and thanks Sammy for your help today." Dean said with a resigned sigh, clapping his brother on the back and watching as Sam enveloped Cas into a similar hug.

"Yes, thank you Sam and we'll see you later." Cas agreed with a smile, returning the hug.

Sam pulled away, patting his Dad on the shoulder and saluting them all as he exited the apartment with a grin.

"We're gonna take off too, I guess we will see you later." John said with a chuckle, squeezing both his son's shoulders.

"Dean if you need any help with dinner tonight, I'm only a phone call away" Sophie insisted with a point of her finger, before leaning up and kissing Dean on the cheek.

He nodded in response as she kissed Cas goodbye and took hold of John's hand.

"We'll see you boys tonight."

Dean and Cas smiled, waving as their parent's left them alone in their very own apartment for the first time.

As soon as the apartment door was closed, Dean turned and glared directly at Cas.

"What?" He said, holding his hands up defensively and a small mischievous smirk playing across his lips.

"Dude you know I can't cook." Dean argued.

"Oh shut up…" Cas mumbled, grabbing a fistful of Dean's shirt and pulling him into a fiercely passionate kiss.

They broke away gasping for air and Dean's hands found Cas' hips.

"…we can order take out and put it on some serving dishes, they'll never know the difference." Cas finished, giving Dean a quick peck on the end of his nose.

Dean laughed, nodding in agreement with Cas' plan and removed his hands from the younger boys hips.

Cas immediately grabbed Dean's hand and pulled him back in, biting his lip playfully.

"Woah cowboy, where do you think you're going in a hurry?" Cas muttered, placing kisses along Dean's exposed neck and subtly pushing him backwards towards their kitchen table.

"I was just gonna…"

Cas placed a finger over Dean's lips to quieten him and shook his head.

"Whatever it is, it can wait…I really…really think we should christen every possible surface in the apartment…"

Cas growled, hopping up to sit on the edge of the kitchen table and pulling Dean between his open legs, effectively wrapping his arms and legs around the older boy, enclosing him in.

Dean moaned quietly as their crotches rubbed together and Cas licked a long stripe up the side of his neck.

"…starting with this kitchen table." Cas finished with a grin, pulling Dean into a hot, tongue filled kiss.

They both moaned into the kiss, before Dean pulled back with a smile.

"Hmm while that sounds…amazing…I have something I need to do first." Dean said seriously, managing to pry himself from Cas' grip.

Cas' smile turned into a pout as Dean walked away from him and he hopped off the table, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Hey…what can be more important than christening the apartment?" Cas grumbled as he watched Dean re-emerge and stroll over to him with a grin.

"This…"

Dean said clearly, sinking down to one knee in front of Castiel and watching as his step brother's bright blue eyes widened considerably at the display.

Dean pulled out a small black box, opening it and presenting a silver band to Castiel, who seemed to be stuck for words, simply staring down between Dean and the ring with a stunned expression.

"…Castiel Novak, will you do me the honour of becoming an official Winchester?"

Cas stared wide eyed at Dean, his mouth opening and closing in shock, before gathering himself together and managing to speak.

"Dean…are you asking me to marry you?" Cas asked in a shaky voice.

"Hell yeah I am." Dean responded with a smirk.

The next few seconds were a blur as Dean was practically tackled to the floor by an eager Castiel, who was now lying on top of him, peppering his face with kisses and muttering the word 'Yes' over and over again.

Dean laughed loudly, managing to take hold of Cas' face and look him in the eyes.

"So that's a yes then?"

"That's a fuck yes." Cas confirmed with the biggest smile Dean had ever seen and launching forward, placing a firm kiss on his lips.

Dean plucked the silver band from the box and took hold of Cas' hand, both of them not bothering to move from their position on the kitchen floor and he placed the ring on Cas' wedding finger. Cas smiled widely, chewing his bottom lip in anticipation as Dean put the ring on his finger and once it was in place, he couldn't help but stare at it for a minute before landing another kiss on his fiancés lips.

"Ok NOW we can christen every surface in this apartment…" Dean said with a chuckle, watching as Cas made an excited move to stand up, only to be pulled back down on top of Dean.

"…ah…but maybe we should leave the kitchen table until later…you know AFTER dinner."

"Spoilsport." Cas said with a poorly formed pout, still unable to hide his smile.

Dean laughed, managing to flip them over on the kitchen floor and effectively pinning Cas below him.

"But we could always start with the kitchen floor." Dean mumbled, placing kisses along Cas' neck.

Cas laughed and nodded in agreement, looking up into Dean's eyes and smiling in content, his fingers playfully running through Dean's hair.

"I love you."

Dean hummed in agreement, placing a soft kiss on his fiancés lips and pulling back with a smile.

"Love you too little bro."

"Shut up"

*******  
END


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